Latin American and Caribbean countries will face significant increases in future health expenditures. A variety of factors are responsible - population growth and aging, the epidemiological transition to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), and economic growth and technology, among others. Increasing health expenditures are particularly concerning to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) given growing levels of debt, insufficient fiscal revenues, and high out-of-pocket payments. The projected average annual per capita CHE growth rate from 2018-2050 is slightly higher in Latin American countries (3.2%) than in the Caribbean (2.4%). The share of health expenditure in GDP is projected to increase to 2030 in all LAC countries except for Guyana. The effect of demographics and epidemiology on health spending growth are more modest. Among strategies to control NCD risk factors, a focus on hypertension control generally had the strongest effect on restraining CHE growth except in countries where smoking is particularly prevalent. The main driver of health expenditure growth is economic growth and technology, demonstrating the importance of adopting policies such as explicit prioritization systems and benefit plans that establish common rules for payers and providers that encourage cost-effective decisions. The underlying model for making projections and analyzing alternative scenarios is publicly available.

Background: Educating medical students to better understand the complexities of cultural competence, the social determinants and environmental determinants of health that are important and integral components of the medical school curriculum. Methods: In 2014, Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM) implemented a new curriculum, the adoption of which provided the means to enhance an existing global health program, informally introduced in 2009, and to address the issues of cultural competency. In this article, we share WCM’s experience in building and expanding its global health curriculum. Results: A hallmark of our program is the successful collaboration between students and faculty to create a multi-disciplinary global health program that incorporates electives, clinical field placement, and collaborative research. Conclusion: Key lessons learned through our experience include the necessity for strong faculty-student collaboration, full support from the administration, and building global partnerships. Our example could be a useful guide for other medical schools seeking to establish a global health education curriculum.

, is an easily read current summary of issues related to day case anaesthesia. It will be most useful to anaesthetic trainees but consultants will find enough information for pertinent review or revision. The book is 185 pages long and divided into nine easy-to-read chapters. It provides information relevant to everyday practical ambulatory anaesthesia. Historical and organisational issues are wellsummarised with a focus on Norway but will interest Australasian readers. The procedure and patient selection chapter is well-organised, though conservative. Specific forms and information sheets are included. Chapters on pharmacology, anaesthetic techniques and postoperative care are all good summaries, emphasising practicality (what one sees and what one uses) and are relevant to anaesthetists in our region. The pharmacology section cleverly uses tables, diagrams and descriptions to make an informative and easy-to-read chapter. The techniques chapter uses short, simplified summaries which are more useful to trainees than consultants. Interestingly, the book provides a recipe chapter providing explicit details to conduct target controlled infusions, total intravenous anaesthesia, gas and volatile anaesthetics in a number of separate drug and procedure contexts. Clearly these are the personal views of the authors. However, the details contained are enough to compare with your own practice before considering whether to use them. The controversies chapter is short and lacks much controversy, which probably reflects the mainstream nature of day care anaesthesia. The success criteria offered in the final chapter are sensible, simple, achievable and uncontroversial. In conclusion, this is a well-written summary book covering its stated topic by using practical examples almost entirely applicable to Australian anaesthetic practice. The style, breadth and depth make the book more suitable for trainees. The book should find a place in most anaesthetic department libraries.