Most EU countries have achieved universal coverage for a core set of health services, although the range of services covered and the degree of cost-sharing vary. Universal health coverage has played an important role in mitigating the impact of the pandemic by ensuring that the entire population has access to COVID‑19 test, vaccination and treatment. Nonetheless, effective access to different types of care can be restricted for different reasons, including costs, health workforce shortages, long waiting times or geographic barriers. During the pandemic, access to care was also restricted due to disruptions in non-urgent health services that have generated backlogs and increases in waiting times, particularly for elective surgery. The pandemic highlighted serious health workforce shortages in many EU countries, despite the fact that the number of doctors and nurses per population had increased over the past decade. Many EU countries have taken actions to increase the supply of doctors and nurses by increasing the number of students in medical and nursing programmes, although it will take several years for these new students to complete their training. Increasing the retention rates in health occupations will be key to avoid exacerbating shortages in the short term.
Health at a Glance: Europe 2022
State of Health in the EU Cycle
Health at a Glance: Europe
