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Tag: statistics
According to the survey by the Institute for Public Affairs and Agency Focus, cancellation of plurality health insurance system and introduction of one insurance company considered as right 41% of Slovaks and 46% wrong. Did not kwon 13% of respondents. Approval of the introduction of a unitary system of public health insurance is supported by less educated people; workers in unskilled manual professions and people older than 65. Significantly more critical are people with higher education, performing skilled professions, such as students and businessmen, and residents of big cities. With unitary system agree mainly supporters of political party Smer-SD and disagree mainly supporters of political parties SDKÚ and SaS.
Institute for Financial Policy (IFP) at Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic has published an analysis of the effectiveness of health care called "A little health for a lot of money." The results of the analysis described our health care as ineffective and also point out that degradation of health continues. According to the analysis, due to the low efficiency of system, the life expectancy is on average about a year shorter than the average of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. The analysis further indicates that state insurance company has the highest cost per patient, while payments for hospitals are often at minimum level. In the context of a unitary system, IFP analyses did not found a strong general argument for a system of one or more insurance companies for all OECD countries. However, analysis also did not say that in the Slovak conditions it would not help.
One-day surgery can save resources and is also usually more comfortable for the patient. Few years ago, one-day surgery was not common in Slovakia but nowadays almost a third of all interventions are performed by one-day surgery. According to President of the Slovak Association of One-day Surgery Eva Vidová, there are still shortcomings in some specializations, for instance urology. As she noticed, hospitals are trying to keep their beds, although, many of them are redundant.
Results of this year's changing of insurance companies are already known. According to the information published by Healthcare Surveillance Authority the possibility to change the insurance company was used by more than 187 000 people. Numbers showed that only insurance company, which has profited on changing of insurance companies, was Union. Union reports almost 30 000 new policyholders. General Health Insurance Company has lost around 19 000 policyholders, Dôvera has reported minus 11 000 policyholders.
Slovak healthcare system has this year placed in the ranking of European Health Consumer Index on the 16th place out of 34 evaluated countries in Europe. The shift was recorded by the particular improving of transparency, informatisation of patients, as well as by shortening of the waiting times. Slovakia is according to the author of the index, Johan Hjertqvista, regarding the improving of healthcare system, an example for at least Central and Eastern Europe countries.
Joint replacement surgery is, compared to other OECD countries, not so usual in Slovakia. Slovakia is at the end of the scale in the number of these operations. Total hip or knee replacement is used for the treatment of patients with osteoarthritis. Lower number of operations, however, does not have to indicate that Slovaks are healthier in that respect. The reason could be also the poorer access to the treatment or more restrictive conditions, by which doctor may recommend the operation. Fewer operations may be also related to the lower overall life-span of citizens.
