Health system sustainability
Do health systems have the capacity to keep generating the financial resources they need? Can a country’s economy support higher levels of spending on health? Conversely, does the health system continue to operate despite chronic underfunding? These are important challenges for sustainable health systems.
Aside from ‘affordability’ issues, another aspect of sustainability is the question of how the health system can maintain sufficient levels of infrastructure, technologies and human resources to deliver good quality services (system sustainability). Both types of sustainability involve an important temporal element. The policy aim is to secure health system stability, both in terms of financing and provision, in the medium and longer term — and this may not align to the short-term time horizons of government budget cycles.
Evidence-informed policy
- maximize value for money;
- minimize waste;
- help future proof the system to meet growing demands.
Another aspect of sustainability the Observatory is exploring is how investment in health promotion and disease prevention can maximize health gains in the population and reduce future challenges.
Financing and payment topics
Related publications
Health system resilience is key to coping with catastrophic events, such as the economic crisis and the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but there is much...
Sustainable health financing with an ageing population: will population ageing lead to uncontrolled health...
The third policy brief in the Economics of Healthy and Active Ageing series looks at the long-term implications of population ageing for health spending...
This policy brief is one of a new series to meet the needs of policy-makers and health system managers. The aim is to develop key messages to support evidence-informed...
Assessing the economic costs of unhealthy diets and low physical activity: an evidence review and proposed...
Unhealthy diets and low physical activity contribute to many chronic diseases and disability; they are responsible for some 2 in 5 deaths worldwide and...
A core question for policy-makers will be the extent to which investments in preventive actions that address some of the social determinants of health...
How can European states design efficient, equitable and sustainable funding systems for long-term care...
Across Europe data suggest that an ageing of the population, coupled with changes in the availability of informal family support, increasing costs of care...
Addressing financial sustainability in health systems
The question as to whether health systems will be financially sustainable in the future is frequently raised in health policy debate. The problem is often...
How can European health systems support investment in and the implementation of population health strategies?
Poor health in Europe has substantial health and socioeconomic costs. Much of this burden might be avoided by implementing effective population health...
Subscribe to our newsletter
Sign Up