OECD: total health spending was lower than most OECD countries in 2007

Total health spending in the Czech Republic in 2007 accounted for 6.8 percent of GDP – lower than the average of 8.9 percent among OECD countries, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has revealed. Of other countries in the survey that are in the EU or have applied for EU membership, only Poland and Turkey ranked below the Czech Republic. The most highly-ranked in the survey was the US, with 15.8 percent of GDP. The report also said that the Czechs in 2007 ranked below the OECD average in total health spending per capita (spending the equivalent of 1,626 US dollars compared to the OECD average of 2,964). A year later, in 2008, government introduced mandatory health fees at emergency rooms, private practitioners’ and hospitals.

In other statistics, the Czech Republic ranked among the highest in the survey when it came to health funding from the public sector: 85.2 percent - well above the OECD average of 73 percent. In the proportion of public funding, the Czech Republic came second only to Luxembourg.

Author: Jan Velinger