Hungary: Not So Good for Hearts

According to the Euro Consumer Heart Index Hungary is among the worst ranked countries in the Euro Consumer Heart Index, where the country was placed 24th out of the 29 participants. Luxembourg led with a score of 836 points, followed by France, Norway and Switzerland.

The Heart Index compares care systems around Europe from a consumer point of view. In five categories, covering 28 performance indicators, Hungary scored 553 points out of a potential 1,000.

Generally, scores for the CEE region were not good. Among Hungary's near neighbors, Slovakia was ranked 20, Czech Republic 21, Bulgaria 28 and Romania was ranked last at 29.

"Hungarians have good access to cardiac care, but disappointing medical results - this has also been shown in previous comparisons for the Hungarian healthcare service," told Dr Arne Björnberg, research director for the Heart Index. What more could be done in Hungary? Johan Hjertqvist, the president of analysis and information organization Health Consumer Powerhouse (HCP), which produced the study, explained: "A weak spot is a lack of transparency in the system. Accessible information for the consumer on where to find the best heart-care provider is lacking."

"Money would be used more wisely if invested in prevention, such as controlling blood pressure among the population and offering smoke cessation assistance."

"Then resources would be freed up so that investments in better procedures could take place."

The Euro Consumer Heart Index provides a ranking of European cardiovascular healthcare systems across five key areas to the consumer: information; consumer rights and choice; access; prevention; procedures and outcomes. The study is constructed from public statistics and independent research.



© MNSZA
2008-07-17 | Refreshed: 2009-12-30 16:31