Within the triangle of healthcare legacies: comparing the performance of South-Eastern European health systems

Jakovljević, Mihajlo; Arsenijevic, Jelena; Pavlova, Milena; Verhaeghe, Nick; Laaser, Ulrich; Groot, Wim

doi:10.1080/13696998.2016.1277228

Cited by 34 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…However, as a middle income country, Serbia lost the funding abruptly when its HIV burden was estimated as “moderate” (The Global Fund, 2015). Furthermore, in 2012 Serbia was removed from the list of countries eligible for support in 2013 (Jakovljevic et al, 2017). …”

Section: What About Testing Strategies?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Does the Strategy of Risk Group Testing for Hepatitis C Hit the Target?

et al. 2017

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In the European Union, it is estimated that there are 5.5 million individuals with chronic infection of hepatitis C. Intravenous drug abuse is undoubtedly the key source of the hepatitis C epidemic in Europe and the most efficient mode of transmission of HCV infections (primarily due to short incubation time, but also because the virus is introduced directly into the blood stream with the infected needle). Potentially high-risk and vulnerable populations in Europe (and the world) include immigrants, prisoners, sex workers, men having sex with men, individuals infected with HIV, psychoactive substance users etc. Since there is a lack of direct evidence of clinical benefits of HCV testing, decisions related to testing are made based on indirect evidence. Clinical practice has shown that HCV antibody tests are mostly adequate for identification of HCV infection, but the problem is that this testing strategy does not hit the target. As a result of this health care system strategy, a large number of infected patients remain undetected or they are diagnosed late. There is only a vague link between screening and treatment outcomes since there is a lack of evidence on transmission risks, multiple causes, risk behavior, ways of reaching screening decisions, treatment efficiency, etc. According to results of limited number of studies it can be concluded that there is a need to develop targeted programmes for detection of HCV and other infections, but there also a need to decrease potential harms.

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Section: What About Testing Strategies?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Does the Strategy of Risk Group Testing for Hepatitis C Hit the Target?

et al. 2017

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“…Among these factors, both LEAB and HALE are strongly influenced by health interventions and other aspects of social development (Chan and Kamala Devi, 2015 ). A major reason for the variation between countries is that life expectancy reflects the mortality pattern of a population as well as the overall impact of the health system (Jakovljevic et al, 2017a ). An effective health system and policy are able to balance key predictors for both types of life expectancies, such as socio-economic factors and lifestyle patterns (Kabir, 2008 ; Lin et al, 2012 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Influence of Universal Health Coverage on Life Expectancy at Birth (LEAB) and Healthy Life Expectancy (HALE): A Multi-Country Cross-Sectional Study

et al. 2018

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Background: There are substantial differences in long term health outcomes across countries, particularly in terms of both life expectancy at birth (LEAB) and healthy life expectancy (HALE). Socio-economic status, disease prevention approaches, life style and health financing systems all influence long-term health goals such as life expectancy. Within this context, universal health coverage (UHC) is expected to influence life expectancy as a comprehensive health policy. The aim of the study is to investigate this relationship between Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and life expectancy.Method: A multi-country cross-sectional study was performed drawing on different sources of data (World Health Organization, UNDP-Education and World Bank) from 193 UN member countries, applying administrative record linkage theory. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, Pearson correlations, hierarchical linear regressions were utilized as appropriate.Result: Global average healthy life years was shown to be 61.34 ± 8.40 and life expectancy at birth was 70.00 ± 9.3. Standardized coefficients from regression analysis found UHC (0.34), child vaccination (Diphtheria Pertussis Tetanus−3: 0.17) and sanitation coverage (0.31) were associated with significantly increased life expectancy at birth. In contrast, population growth was associated with a decrease (0.29). Likewise, unit increases in child vaccination (DPT 3), sanitation and UHC would increase healthy life expectancy considerably (0.18, 0.31, and 0.40 respectively), whereas the same for population growth reduces healthy life expectancy by 0.28.Conclusion: Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is a comprehensive health system approach that facilitates a wide range of health services and significantly improves the life expectancy at birth and healthy life expectancy. This study suggests that specific programs to achieve UHC should be considered for countries that have not seen sufficient gains in life expectancy as part of the wider push to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG).

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“…When it comes to allocations for health care expressed as percentage of GDP, Serbia is slightly above the average of the European Union, with its 9.03%, i.e., approximately at the level of Belgium, Austria, Greece, and Bosnia and Herzegovina (60). In comparison to the EU countries, some non-EU countries and the average spending in the EU countries, the Republic of Serbia allocates rather modest absolute amount of funds for health care (61). Predictably, out-of-pocket expenditure per capita almost replicate the trends demonstrated by the domestic private expenditure for health care, both in nominal and PPP dollar terms.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 95%