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In the first phase of the pandemic, Portugal spent 57 euros per capita to combat covid-19, half the average for the European Union (112 euros). The figures appear in “Health at a Glance: Europe 2020”, published this Thursday morning by the OECD.
This year, the report dedicates a chapter to the pandemic that exposed “the vulnerabilities of health systems” and its “profound implications” for people’s health, economic progress, trust in governments and social cohesion in Europe. and all over the world.
In an analysis of the resilience of European health systems during the first pandemic phase, the report analyzes the additional financial commitments of countries for health spending.
Figures for Portugal are based on official information published on June 18. There are 504 million euros of additional public spending, mainly for the hiring of health personnel and the purchase of medical equipment. An average of 57 euros for each Portuguese, which places Portugal in 17th place on a list of 24 countries. At the top are the United Kingdom (446 euros per capita), Germany with 302 euros and Ireland with 274 euros. Among the countries that spent the least are Latvia (€ 21 per capita) and the Netherlands (€ 39).
The report assesses the periods of confinement and the times when they were enacted, the commitment to screening tests, the response to hospitalization, the ability to recruit health professionals, as well as the maintenance of access for non-covid patients.
Portugal is among the countries that doubled testing capacity a month or two after the first deaths from covid-19. And he is also praised for having delegated the responsibility of writing prescriptions for the chronically ill to pharmacies.
32 days to control the first wave
In the first wave, it took European countries an average of 34 days to bring the pandemic under control. Malta was the fastest (11 days) and Sweden the longest (58 days). Portugal took 32 days.
The speakers caution that, contrary to what has been said, Covid-19 may not be a “shock”, which occurs only once every century. That is, this coronavirus does not reduce the probability of new pandemics caused by existing or emerging pathogens. And they warn that climate change and environmental degradation are likely to increase the likelihood of “repeated shocks” to public health.
That is why they conclude that “building the resilience of our health systems and promoting a green recovery has never been more urgent.”
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