ABSTRACT
Until the Meiji restoration in 1868, Japanese medicine was based on Chinese and Korean traditions. Japan is a highly competitive society with a tradition of low unemployment and powerful large paternalistic companies who provide welfare for employees. Although there are four recognizable levels of care, the Japanese system has been characterized by deliberate neglect of primary care and active support for hospital and specialist services. The services provided by primary clinic doctors consist of office consultations and care of those patients who are in the clinic's beds. Hong Kong is a bustling, successful and wealthy community based on private enterprise and competition, with an extended family culture based on traditional Chinese philosophies. The health system consists of two interwoven parts: a government service for the less affluent, to maintain general public health; and private medical care, provided by independent medical entrepreneurs on a fee-for-service basis. General practice is well established in Hong Kong and there are government plans for improvements.
