Slovakia is the third worst in Europe in terms of health system preparedness. Only Romania and Bulgaria are worse. This is according to the Healthcare Readiness Index (HRI) 2023, which assesses the readiness of healthcare systems in EU countries, including the UK and Norway, to meet future challenges in the sector, such as ageing populations, the rise of chronic diseases or further waves of infectious diseases. The study was published by the international organisation Globsec. "The (un)preparedness of the Slovak healthcare system is alarming compared to EU countries, and if corrections are not made, the state of our healthcare system will be a major security risk for Slovakia, limiting the country's economy or long-term sustainable development of Slovakia," warned Martin Smatana, one of the authors of the index.
The results of the study show that countries with good access to innovative technologies, a stable financing system and an efficient network of healthcare providers are best prepared to face the challenges. In fact, a significant part of their policies are focused on prevention and improving the determinants of health. On the other hand, countries in the bottom half of the index, including Slovakia, lack policy continuity, experience frequent changes in leadership and allocate too small a share of spending to preventive care. Healthcare spending in these countries is often perceived as a short-term cost rather than an investment in the future. According to the study, Slovak health care lacks a clear long-term direction and vision. "This is also a result of the fact that the average length of time a minister has been in office since the beginning of the millennium is less than twenty months, and the leadership of the ministry has to spend most of its time 'extinguishing' acute problems," said Michal Štofko, co-author of the study.
As a result, there is understandably no room for systemic action. "This is why Slovakia has an above-average cancer incidence rate compared to other EU countries, a huge investment debt and poor availability of innovative solutions for patients," he added. The Index was presented to the public during the Globsec Forum, with the participation of the Slovak Minister of Health, Michal Palkovic, as well as representatives of several political parties and independent experts. "I see many positive projects in the ministry, but some are still in the early stages and need to be completed. Our healthcare system needs higher quality in the field of digitalisation, intensified activities in the field of prevention programmes and the creation of more attractive conditions that will attract more dedicated and qualified people," said Palkovič. He noted that many development or stabilisation measures should have been continuously applied in practice over the past twenty years.
Source: TASR
