Medical schools forthe health-care needs of the 21st century

摘要

In the World Health Repoit 2006: working together for health, WHO recommends immediate action to "revitalize education strategies".' The increasing primacy of chronic diseases has now developed to the extent that they have become the largest cause of death in most nations across the world. Even in many developing countries, cardiovascular disease has become the leading cause of mortality (mainly from ischaemic heart disease and stroke), accounting for 17 million deaths in 2002.2 Although already very large, this figure is projected to rise substantially over the next two decades, with a threefold increase expected in the Middle East, Latin America, and sub-Saharan Africa.