Vaccine hesitancy, digital transformation and gaps in health care accessibility are among the main challenges in the health sector. These are the key findings of the report published on Thursday 28 November by the European Commission, which accompanies the Twenty-Eight health profiles of the Member States.
Health profiles examine the health of the population and some important risk factors, as well as the effectiveness, accessibility and resilience of health systems in each EU Member State. They recall that the average life expectancy in Europe is 80.9 years; at its highest in Spain at 83.4 years and at its lowest in Bulgaria at 74.8 years.
The accompanying report highlights several major trends in the transformation of our health systems. It shows that, across Europe, vaccine hesitancy is a major threat to public health and that gaps in access to health care are still a reality in the EU. On the latter, it identifies several promising scenarios, such as the use of health technology assessment, the sharing of experiences on pricing and purchasing, the use of generics and good governance. Also worth noting is an interesting message about the United Kingdom: “Beyond underfunding, shortages in the health workforce are a key challenge. (...) International recruitment is hampered by restrictive migration policies, uncertainties around the United Kingdom’s position vis-à-vis the EU and the rights of EU nationals living there.” Link: http://bit.ly/33s765b (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)