State of Health in the EU: shift to prevention and primary care is the most important trend across countries
The European Commission published the reports on November 28 that depict the profile of health systems in 30 countries. Country Health Profiles are being issued with the Companion Report that shows some of the biggest trends in the transformation of the healthcare systems and draws key conclusions from the Profiles.
Vytenis Andriukaitis, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, said: “Various surveys and debates across Europe prove us that health ranks among the top priorities of European citizens. I am particularly glad that health promotion and disease prevention are finally getting the attention they need. I am therefore very proud to have initiated the State of Health in the EU cycle and delivered two cycles together with the OECD and the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies for 28 EU Member States, plus Norway and Iceland. I can clearly see that this robust country-specific and cross-EU knowledge feeds into both national policymaking and EU level cooperation. I hope my successor will continue this exercise and that more Member States will follow up the voluntary- basis discussions on its findings and share best practices.”
Key findings
The Country Health Profiles provide an in-depth analysis of health systems, looking at the health of the population and important risk factors, as well as the effectiveness, accessibility and resilience of health systems in each EU Member State. They clearly reflect shared objectives across the Member States, and reveal potential areas where the Commission can encourage mutual learning and exchange of good practices.
The Companion Report brings out some of the biggest trends in the transformation of our health systems:
.Vaccine hesitancy is a major public health threat all across
Europe, which can be tackled by improving health literacy,
countering disinformation and actively involving health
workers.
.The digital transformation of health promotion and disease
prevention can result in winners and losers. People who would
most benefit from mobile health and other such digital tools
may be the least likely to have easy access to it.
.Gaps in health care accessibility are still very much a
reality in the EU. Both the clinical needs and socioeconomic
characteristics of patients need to be accounted for when
measuring access to health care and its many barriers.
.Skill mix innovations among the health workforce show great
potential for increasing the resilience of health systems.
Promising examples of task shifting among health workers are
found across the EU, particularly when it comes to enhancing
the role of nurses and pharmacists.
.The product life cycle of medicines reveals ample scope for
Member State cooperation in ensuring safe, effective and
affordable therapies, including everything from rational
spending to responsible prescribing.
source: European Commission
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