Overview

The global financial crisis that began in 2007 can be classified as a health system shock – that is, an unexpected occurrence originating outside the health system that has a large negative effect on the availability of health system resources or a large positive effect on the demand for health services. In 2009, WHO’s Regional Committee for Europe adopted a resolution (‎EUR/RC59/R3)‎ urging Member States to ensure that their health systems would continue to protect and promote universal access to effective health services during a time of economic crisis. To date, there has been no systematic cross-country analysis of health policy responses to the financial crisis in Europe, although some overviews of health system responses to the crisis have been published.

This policy summary aims to address a gap in the literature by presenting a framework for analysing health policy responses to economic shocks; summarizing the results of a survey of health policy responses to the financial crisis in the European Region’s 53 Member States; and discussing the potential effects of these responses on health system performance.