By Martin Banks - 28th September 2009
The Dutch might have found a successful approach
Dr Arne Bjornberg
The Dutch healthcare system has been held up as a model for other member states to follow in tackling the impact of the recession.
It comes as the Netherlands was placed top of a league table on the "added value" of its healthcare.
It won the so-called "Euro health consumer index" for the second year in a row by an outstanding margin – the first time a country has won in two consecutive years since the EHCI started in 2005.
Denmark once again finishes in the runner-up position, and other strong performers include Iceland, Austria and Switzerland.
Estonia drops significantly and there is continuous decline in the Spanish, Portuguese and Greek healthcare systems, which do not keep up with the improvement rate found in countries like the Netherlands, Denmark or Ireland.
The index uses a range of data to compare the quality of health systems in all member states.
The report's authors say that healthcare in large parts of eastern and central Europe seems to be affected by the financial crisis.
The research director, Dr Arne Bjornberg, said, "As the Netherlands is expanding its lead among the best performing countries, the index indicates that the Dutch might have found a successful approach."
She said the secret of its success is that is "combines competition for funding and provision within a regulated framework".
"There are information tools to support active choice among consumers. The Netherlands have started working on patient empowerment early, which now clearly pays off in many areas. And politicians and bureaucrats are comparatively far removed from operative decisions on delivery of Dutch healthcare services."
Johan Hjertqvist, of Health Consumer Powerhouse, which compiled the study, said, "With patient mobility growing around Europe, there is a strong need for transparency exposing the pros and cons of the national healthcare systems.
"The EU intends to introduce a cross-border care scheme which requires significantly better information to patients.
"This years´ measurement indicates that forward-looking governments start using healthcare information and choice to engage patients in the decision-making, building a pressure from below for improvement."
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