Replies

Your suggestion is good.
It's tough to find this instantly compiled.

I did see a five post-treatment cancer survival rate study comparison of Europe. The highest was France, with about 58% (the lowest was Poland, without about 25%). The American figures in that particular article were a bit higher than France, in the 62-63% range. I didn't delve into the study, since I was just trying to get an impressionistic look.

I didn't see anything readily compiled on heart attacks, etc.

I would like to see that.
I think you are right: that would be a good, although not perfect, indicator of quality of care in certain specialties.

I don't know that I would make much of a few percentage differences in a report like that, but I definitely would not want to get cancer in Poland.

The U.S. mortality ratio for breast cancer is 25%, but with single payer health care systems it's worse. In Canada and Australia it is 28%, in Germany it is 31%, in France it is 35%, and in New Zealand and the United Kingdom it is 46%. For prostate cancer, the U.S. mortality ratio is 19%. In Canada it is 25%, in New Zealand it is 30%, in Australia it is 35%, in Germany it is 44%, in France it is 49%, and in the United Kingdom it is 57%. In 1997, an estimated 20 to 30 percent of all patients on Canadian waiting lists died before even getting care. Check it out HERE.

-- from THIS page

Those are interesting statistics. I suspect Poland's survival rate is so low for two basic reasons: 1) poor cancer treatment, and 2) poor cancer diagnostics. Item #2 is particularly important because even the best cancer treatments in the world aren't going to work too well unless the illness is diagnosed early enough.

The statistics on the U.S. and France are consistent with what I would have expected -- both nations being on the high side, with the U.S. higher simply because the quality of treatments, advances in cancer research, and quality of medication are superior in the U.S.

The best evidence of this comes in the form of foreign heads of state and wealthy people from around the world who have the ability to get their medical care anywhere in the world. When people like the late King Hussein of Jordan are facing major life-threatening medical issues, they don't hesitate to hop on a jet and fly to the U.S. for treatment at places like Sloan-Kettering, the Mayo Clinic, the DeBakey Institute, etc.