Economics of Sustainable Radiology in Global Health

Abstract

Medical care around the globe demonstrates persistent and profound disparities both between and within nations. These stark differences encompass inputs—metrics such as annual spending on health care, available providers, hospital beds, and diagnostic imaging infrastructure as well as variability in outcomes, which includes average lifespan, infant mortality, and quality of life. Reducing these gaps entails efforts to develop improved diagnostic programs in nations challenged by the lack of adequate imaging resources. However, there are many challenges inherent in achieving success in managing and operating a radiology service in areas of low resource. Not the least of these is the acquisition and management of financial assets, given the substantial economic disparities and national priorities that exist among nations. Additionally, well-intentioned but poorly designed programs will not succeed unless they are both well-tailored to the local environment and sustainable in the broadest sense of the term. This chapter outlines the economic components of different radiology services and discusses the impact of various national systems and practice management strategies inherent in promoting the growth of imaging services. Current and rising strategies for economic sustainability can be applied to imaging in areas of low resource; microfinance may be well suited for the purpose of creating imaging service models that can work in emerging economies.