Argentina India Kenya United Kingdom United States of America Japan   1990 data. Information is reproduced from the Guide to Health Services of the World, published by the International Hospital Federation, ISBN 0 900590 26 2. Price £16.00. National Population 57.4m Birth Rate (per 1000 Population) 13.9 Life expectancy at Birth (Years) 73.1 (Male) 78.5 (Female) Death Rate (per 1000 population) 11.2 Infant Mortality (per 1000 live births) 7.9 Health Expenditures Total expenditure on health services in national currency - 60,773 Amount spent per capita - 1,059 Sources of Health Expenditures Government (all levels) - 94.5% Personal (out-of-pocket payments) - 5.5% Description of the Health Service Structure and Organisation Financing NHS services are free at the point of use in most cases. The NHS budget is funded by the government through allocations from general tax revenue. Patient charges account for a small proportion of the expenditure. Access and Types of Service Covered All United Kingdom residents are entitled to comprehensive health services generally free at the point of use. Every person has to be registered with a GP, who decides on all routine non-emergency healthcare needs of his patients. Acute care services are provided on the basis of referral from the patients' GP. Direct access is available in cases of emergency medical treatment. Quality Assessment and National Standards There is a formal quality-assurance programme with defined performance indicators. These are available mainly in the area of access to healthcare facilities, though there are some indicators used to assess aspects of outcome and the quality of care. Hospital Statistics No. of Hospitals - 2,194 No. of Beds Available - 353,104 Total Staff (Full-Time Equivalents) - 1,021,245 Medical Practitioners - 61,319     Copyright © 1998, NHS