Abstract

Health is a prominent political issue on the domestic agenda of most developed countries. At election time, voters show a keen interest in the health manifestos of political parties. The achievements or failures of national health systems are often centre-stage in debates. At the international level, too, health is frequently in the headlines: from the threat of a new infectious disease, to the resurgence of ‘old’ maladies such as tuberculosis or cholera; from the ethics of rich nations who recruit health workers from poor countries, to the price of medicines.