The 2014 edition of the Panorama of health in Europe published by the OECD shows that life expectancy in the member countries of the European Union has increased by more than five years on average since 1990. Nevertheless, the the gap between the longest life expectancy (Spain, Italy and France) and the shortest life expectancy (Lithuania, Latvia, Bulgaria and Romania) remains around eight years.
Inequalities in access to health care
Most Europeans today have a much longer life expectancy than the previous generation, but significant inequalities remain from one country to another and within the same country. These health inequalities are largely attributable to disparities in access to care and the quality of care, as well as in the lifestyles and behavior of individuals, according to this report produced jointly by the OECD and the Commission. European. In most EU countries, universal health coverage preserved access to health care during the recent economic crisis, with the exception of Bulgaria and Greece where many people lost their health coverage. Health Insurance. But in all European countries, the proportion of people stating that their medical and dental care needs are not all met is twice as high among low-income people as among the general population.
Fewer deaths from heart attacks
In most European countries, health care has improved further in recent years despite the crisis. Thus, over the last ten years, the death rate of people who have suffered a heart attack has fallen by 40% and among victims of stroke, it has fallen by 20% on average in the countries of the European Union. On the other hand, there are still significant differences between the different countries in the survival of patients. This is the case for cancer but it is also the case for cardiovascular diseases: the risk of dying 30 days after admission to hospital for a heart attack is about twice as high in Hungary and Latvia as in Hungary and Latvia. in Denmark and Sweden.
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