title: The relationship between healthcare services and the political economy with reference to the Jamaican experience.
abstract: The availability of and equitable access to, health services have challenged healthcare providers with a greater degree of urgency since the end of World War II. Prior to that time, concepts such as equity and social justice were just that, concepts but no real attempts were ever made to operationalize them. Goods and services were still produced and distributed based on market forces, that is, one's ability and willingness to pay for something. Health in that context was a service, some say a commodity, to be bought and sold, hence its availability was not necessarily commensurate with its accessibility.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health and Psychiatry, The University of the West Indies, Kingston 7, Jamaica, West Indies. satnarine.maharaj@uwimona.edu.jm
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Maharaj
mesh_terms: D006291:Health Policy; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007563:Jamaica; D011057:Politics; D012935:Social Justice; D012946:Social Welfare