“As in other developed countries, the key challenge to health-care reforms in the Czech Republic in the coming decades will be to ensure access to high-quality care based on the principle of solidarity, while simultaneously taking into account the country’s fiscal context, demographic ageing and the capacity of the SHI system (Julinek, 2009). Total health expenditure as a share of GDP in the Czech Republic is low (7.7% in 2012) compared to other Western European countries. In view of the country’s financial situation this share is unlikely to increase substantially and thus there is a need to spend available funds wisely by promoting efficiency and adding value in the system.”

Source: Alexa J, Rečka L, Votápková J, van Ginneken E, Spranger A, Wittenbecher F. Czech Republic: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2015; 17(1):1–165.

“The future fiscal context of the Czech SHI [Statutory Health Insurance] system primarily depends on political decisions regarding an acceptable share of private expenditures. Despite the fact that the Czech Republic has one of the lowest shares of private health expenditures among OECD countries (OECD, 2013), it is unlikely that this share will rise in the short term due to lack of political consensus. To keep the current standard of health care, additional (financial) resources will thus have to be mobilized through other channels such as rising SHI contributions or more efficient delivery of care. If not, access may effectively be reduced because of increasing waiting times or limited availability of modern treatment options. The main political parties are aware of the necessity for reform. Yet they propose different solutions, ranging from more centralization with fewer or possibly only one health insurance fund on the left side of the political spectrum, to a more liberal and market-oriented approach on the right side of the political spectrum. The lack of consensus on a vision of the future Czech health system has prevented some key structural problems being addressed, such as mobilizing sufficient funds during economic downturns. This has led to recurring problems with financial instability, inefficiencies in care delivery, high transaction costs and an inability to benefit from reforms in the medium and long term.”

Source: Alexa J, Rečka L, Votápková J, van Ginneken E, Spranger A, Wittenbecher F. Czech Republic: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2015; 17(1):1–165.

Health Systems Facts is a project of the Real Reporting Foundation. We provide reliable statistics and other data from authoritative sources regarding health systems in the US and sixteen other nations.

Page last updated Nov. 13, 2022 by Doug McVay, Editor.