In the Czech Republic, the access to health care is considered a basic human right and it is guaranteed by the Constitution. The health care system is based on mandatory health insurance for the entire population. Czech residents can make a free choice among seven public insurance funds. The role of the insurance funds is to purchase and pay all needed health care for their clients. Patients have a free choice of outpatient physicians and health facilities.
Data from the European Health Consumer Index (EHCI) support the notion that the Czech health system is one of the best among Central and Eastern European countries. The performance is encouraging especially in the light of the fact, that Czech health care uses fewer financial resources than most EU member states. Over the years, the country position in the EHCI has steadily improved and the latest report ranks the country in 13th position among 35 countries right behind Sweden and ahead of the United Kingdom.
Good accessibility to health services for the whole population and a high level of equity are the main strengths and contributed significantly to the positive assessment. However, in spite of undeniable strengths, some serious weaknesses in the Czech healthcare need attention in the near future, in order to maintain the health care system quality, efficiency and accessibility.
Secondary analysis of EHCI and national and international statistics is are used to identify and analyze topical issues of the Czech health system and discuss them in detail.
Keywords:
Czech healthcare, European Health Consumer Index, international comparison, accessibility