Health expenditure under multiple-priority pressures. A case study of Israel.

Since Israel's inception, it has faced many problems that have a high priority in the national consciousness. Problems of defense and national security are outstanding among these, and problems such as absorption of immigrants, education, land reclamation and water supply are next. This creates heavy pressure on scarce resources, and is reflected in the share of specific items in Government and national expenditures. An analysis of developments since the early 1950s shows how health expenditure has been given a high priority in the evaluation of the nation's needs on one hand, and has been influenced by defense needs and other pressing requests on the other hand. It may be concluded that health receives a fair share of the nation's resources, but, in view of the strained economic situation in the country, careful planning for future health services in coordination, cooperation and integration with other welfare services is essential.