title: Values and health care: the Confucian dimension in health care reform.
abstract: Are values and social priorities universal, or do they vary across geography, culture, and time? This question is very relevant to Asia's emerging economies that are increasingly looking at Western models for answers to their own outmoded health care systems that are in dire need of reform. But is it safe for them to do so without sufficient regard to their own social, political, and philosophical moorings? This article argues that historical and cultural legacies influence prevailing social values with regard to health care financing and resource allocation, and that the Confucian dimension provides a helpful entry point for a deeper understanding of ongoing health care reforms in East Asia--as exemplified by the unique case of Singapore.
authors.affiliation: Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, 16 Medical Drive, Block MD43, Singapore 117597. mklim@nus.edu.sg
authors.forename: Meng-Kin
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Lim
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D032903:Confucianism / Q000266:history*; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005202:Asia, Eastern; D005260:Female; D018166:Health Care Reform / Q000941:ethics / Q000266:history / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006291:Health Policy / Q000266:history*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000266:history* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000266:history / Q000458:organization & administration; D049668:History, 15th Century; D049669:History, 16th Century; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D049690:History, Ancient; D049691:History, Medieval; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000941:ethics / Q000266:history / Q000458:organization & administration; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D012846:Singapore; D012945:Social Values