Introduction: Key Factors for Functioning Health Systems

Abstract

Health status significantly differs between developed and developing countries. The gradient is found in the relationship between income level and health status (Preston 1975; Backlund et al. 1999). The upward trend linking per capita income and life expectancy is known as the Preston curve. Preston (1975) pointed out that an increase in per capita income relates to an improvement in health (that is, an increase in life expectancy) more strongly in low-income countries than in high-income countries.