asked the Minister for Health if he will confirm that per capita spending on health in 1984, according to information supplied by the OECD, was $514 in Ireland, $585 in the United Kingdom and $722 in the OECD countries on average; and if he will outline the current per capita figures for each area.
Written Answers. - Spending on Health.
69.
Before addressing the particular comparison made by the Deputy, I would like to make some points about international comparisons in general.
Countries vary in their interpretation of what constitutes health expenditure. For example, cash allowances to disabled persons are classified as health expenditure in Ireland but not in Britain. The OECD recognises these variations as representing difficulties in making meaningful comparisons. Furthermore in the OECD's own reports, it concedes that comparative financial data "cannot be used to compare real quantities of health services across countries". This equally applies to comparison of quality.
Having made these points, let me say that the Deputy has been very selective in his choice of comparative data. For the period 1960 to 1984 the OECD figures show Ireland's growth in real expenditure on health to be significantly higher than the United Kingdom, the United States and the OECD average. In 1984 public expenditure on health in Ireland represented 7.0 of GDP. This compares with 5.2 in the UK, 4.4 in the U.S. and 5.9 for the OECD average.