Promoting social cohesion and convergence
La COVID-19: ¿punto de inflexión para una convergencia al alza en materia salud y asistencia sanitaria en la UE?
Published:
30 September 2021
Policy brief
Abstract
El impacto de la COVID-19 ha hecho que la salud pública pase a ocupar un lugar destacado en la agenda de la política social de la UE. Mientras la UE dirige sus esfuerzos hacia el establecimiento de una Unión Europea de la Salud para protegerse frente a futuras crisis sanitarias, este resumen de políticas examina hasta qué punto la UE logró una convergencia al alza en términos de resultados sanitarios y de asistencia sanitaria, así como de gastos y prestaciones sanitarias, con anterioridad a la pandemia. También examina los patrones de convergencia en las infecciones y muertes por COVID-19 y en las medidas paliativas adoptadas por la UE y los gobiernos nacionales.
Los resultados indican que, entre 2008 y 2019, la salud de los ciudadanos de la UE mejoró en general y los Estados miembros convergieron en sus resultados sanitarios, pero las disparidades en el gasto público y la prestación de servicios sanitarios siguieron aumentando. En este contexto, la pandemia de la COVID-19 provocó una mayor divergencia, ya que el número de muertes e infecciones varió enormemente de un país a otro. El informe destaca que lo ideal sería que la Unión Europea de la Salud no sólo reforzara la preparación de la UE ante las crisis, sino que también permitiera, en última instancia, la convergencia de los indicadores de salud y asistencia sanitaria en todos sus Estados miembros.
Key findings
From 2008–2019, health outcomes in the EU improved as Member States with modest health expenditures expanded their healthcare spending. By 2019, this enabled these countries (mainly the central and eastern European Member States) to catch up with the top EU spenders.
Although the number of practising doctors and nurses grew steadily in the EU between 2008 and 2019, medical staff shortages persisted. The gap between countries widened partly due to the migration of healthcare professionals, and countries with existing labour shortages in healthcare saw their situation deteriorate further, hindering their ability to catch up with the rest of the EU.
The COVID-19 pandemic affected countries differently, leading to huge disparities in the number of infections and deaths. The mitigation strategies adopted by Member States varied in intensity and time frame, highlighting the importance of a coordinated EU exit strategy to achieve faster progress in controlling a pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed structural inequalities in healthcare capacity across Member States. To ensure no-one is left behind in the aftermath of the crisis, translating the healthcare principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights into a reality by increasing healthcare capacity and coverage will be critical.
The COVID-19 pandemic underlined how the EU lacked the tools to manage a severe health crisis. Greater coordination and reporting in the area of health as part of a European Health Union would reinforce the crisis preparedness of the EU. The conference on the Future of Europe is an important opportunity for citizens to have their say on Europe’s health priorities for the future.
The policy brief contains the following lists of tables and figures.
List of tables
Table 1: Determinants of annual growth in health indicators, EU27, 2008–2019
Table 2: Determinants of annual growth in health expenditures per capita, EU27, 2008–2019
List of figures
Figure 1: Convergence in life expectancy at birth, 2008–2019
Figure 2: Convergence in self-perceived health, 2008–2019
Figure 3: Convergence in infant mortality rate, 2008–2019
Figure 4: Convergence in unmet needs for medical examination and care, 2008–2019
Figure 5: Impact of GDP per capita (in euro) on health indicators, EU27, 2008–2019
Figure 6: Convergence in government expenditures on health, 2008–2019
Figure 7: Convergence in the supply of physicians, 2008–2016
Figure 8: Convergence in the supply of nurses and midwives, 2008–2016
Figure 9: Convergence in hospital bed capacity, 2008–2018
Figure 10: Convergence in life expectancy at birth, 2019–2020
Figure 11: COVID-19 – new cases and deaths per million, EU27, January 2020–11 August 2021
Figure 12: COVID-19 – New cases and deaths per million by Member State, January 2020 – 11 August 2021
Figure 13: COVID-19 – convergence in Stringency Index, January 2020–1 August 2021
Figure 14: COVID-19 – new daily vaccinations, 28 December 2020–10 August 2021
Figure 15: COVID-19 – total vaccines administered by GDP per capita (in euro), EU27, 30 May and 10 August 2021
Figure 16: COVID-19 – new daily vaccinations in the EU27, United States and OECD, 13 January 2021–10 August 2021
- Number of pages
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32
- Reference nº
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EF20026
- ISBN
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978-92-897-2202-5
- Catalogue nº
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TJ-AR-21-004-ES-N
- DOI
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10.2806/062984
- Permalink
Cite this publication
Eurofound (2021), COVID-19: A turning point for upward convergence in health and healthcare in the EU? Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg.
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