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The 'World health report 2000' follows a trend towards the use of performance indicators in public services. The indicators used by WHO are in need of conceptual refinement and valid measurement, especially the more subjective ones. The use of indicators for final goals of health (care) systems makes it difficult to translate lack of performance into policy. Instrumental goals are also needed for the latter. It is concluded that the overall performance of the Dutch health care system is built up of the performance of its individual sections. The concrete areas for improvement within these sections need to be identified, while at the same time a performance paradox should be avoided.

Although doctors tend to belong to the best paid categories of professionals, considerable differences between countries in average remuneration can be found. This study is focused on incomes (1985) of general practitioners (GP) in II Western European countries (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, West Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden). Beside a description of the incomes (before taxation) as such, an attempt is made to correlate the income figures with some characteristics of the general practitioner's position in each country. The average GP income per country (before taxes) was ECU 43,600. The German (ECU 67,000), Austrian (ECU 56,000) and Danish (ECU 55,000) form the top, the Italian (ECU 14,000), Belgian (ECU 31,000) and Swedish (ECU 34,500) doctors the bottom-three. Correcting for OECD purchasing power parities does not change the rank order of the GP income in the different countries essentially. The more doctors per inhabitant, the lower the income, and the more different tasks the GP has to perform, the higher the income. Direct access of specialist care has no relationship with GP incomes.