title: The equity and efficiency principle in the financing system of the NHS in Portugal.
abstract: The public financing systems of primary health care services and hospital services in Portugal have traditionally been separated. In the United Kingdom where a similar separation exists, inefficient transfers of services take place from the hospital services to the primary care services. In this article a new way of financing of the NHS is proposed which will try to combine the efficiency principle existing in the financing of hospital services with an equity principle reflected in a ceiling on target expenditure for each district.
authors: National School of Public Health, Lisboa, Portugal.
authors: M R
authors: MR
authors: Giraldes
mesh_terms: D004469:Economics, Hospital; D004526:Efficiency; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011174:Portugal; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000191:economics*; D013222:State Medicine / Q000191:economics*