Portugal with access to healthcare below the OECD average

Portuguese people’s access to healthcare is below the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) average.

Portuguese people’s access to the healthcare system is below the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) average, according to a report released today, which points to costs for users as the main problem.

Portugal exceeds the OECD average by just 24 percent of the key indicators that define access to healthcare, as can be seen in the report “Health at a glance 2023”, which brings together indicators from the 38 countries that make up the OECD.

“The entire population is covered by a basic set of services”, but “financial coverage, with 63 percent of expenses previously covered, was lower than the OECD average, which is 76 percent”, can be read in the report .

Satisfaction with health care was also lower, with 63 percent of Portuguese people saying they were satisfied (OECD average is 67 percent), and “direct expenses, which represent 29 percent of health expenses, were higher than the average of 18 percent”, the report also states.

With regard to health indicators, Portugal is above average in 42 percent of cases. It has a life expectancy 1.2 years above the OECD, but preventable or treatable mortality is lower than the average of other countries and «13.3 percent of people classified their health as bad or very bad», an increase of 5.2 points than the rest of the organization.

Regarding risks, Portugal is above average in 75 percent of indicators, with lower values ​​for tobacco consumption, obesity and deaths caused by air pollution, while in issues such as alcohol (10.5 liters per capita, above the OECD 8.6) or diabetes the data is more harmful.

In healthcare, mortality at 30 days after stroke is higher than the OECD average, there were fewer preventable hospitalizations and more antibiotics were prescribed.

In preventive care, breast cancer screening stands out, with 80 percent, above the OECD average of 55 percent.

In terms of spending on the sector, Portugal is only above the average in 30 percent of the indicators, but the data indicates that spending is more effective, according to the organization.

«Eight countries spend less than the OECD average, but achieve an overall higher life expectancy», which «may indicate a relatively good cost-benefit ratio of health systems, despite many other factors», refers to the report, which points to South Korea, Spain, Italy, Israel, Portugal, Chile, Costa Rica and Slovenia as good examples.

The country that demonstrates the least effectiveness is the United States, with “much higher expenses than all other OECD countries, but with a lower life expectancy”.

With regard to health professionals and resources, Portugal has 5.6 doctors per thousand inhabitants, above the OECD average, which is 3.7. «However, the numbers in Portugal and Greece are overestimated, as they include all doctors authorized to practice the profession», states the report.

Nurses number 7.4 per thousand, below the average (9.2). In hospital beds, the values ​​are also lower, with 3.5 beds per thousand inhabitants, below the OECD’s 4.3.