Future ECCLS Involvement as Seen by Health Agencies

Abstract

ECCLS has members from 15 countries each with a different health care system. Each system has evolved from specific national requirements which have been expressed through political decisions leading to different types of funding and more or less centralization. Thus all governments play a role as a health agency. Whatever the system, there are now recognized to be gaps between the health care delivered to the population and their wants or perceived needs, as well as between those and what is in principle possible with unlimited resources. In examining the role of ECCLS, this paper starts by summarizing some aspects of health care and looks at some features desirable in the functioning of a health care system from a health agency viewpoint, and their implications for clinical laboratory science. It then considers the characteristics and directions of ECCLS and finally suggests some future activities.