The 'inverse care law' formulated by Julian Tudor Hart (1971) states that:

• A The cost of healthcare is inversely proportional to the income of patients
• B Health outcomes are inversely correlated with the number of hospital beds in a country
• C Preventive care investment is inversely proportional to curative care expenditure
• D The availability of good medical care tends to vary inversely with the need of the population it serves ✓

Explanation

Hart's inverse care law states that 'the availability of good medical care tends to vary inversely with the need for it in the population served.' This is most pronounced in market-driven healthcare systems where affluent populations with lower disease burden receive the best care, while poor and high-need populations receive the least. The law underpins arguments for universal health coverage, progressive taxation-based health financing, and deployment of health workforce to underserved areas. It remains central to health equity discourse and NHS policy.

Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.