Around 70% of Czechs would support financial rewards for people who actively take care of their health, according to a survey by the National Association of Patient Organizations (NAPO), the results of which were presented today to journalists, along with a report on the outlook for the Czech healthcare system for the next ten years.
Such financial rewards are one of the steps proposed in the Patients’ Vision of Health Care 2035. The report also recommends that people should also be able to choose between different insurance plans from health insurance companies, access their own medical records, and see information about the quality of care in individual health facilities.
“31% of respondents think the situation in the healthcare system has worsened in recent years. This is alarming, because more and more money is going into the healthcare system,” said NAPO executive committee member Simona Zabranska.
In 2025, the Health Ministry expects that about CZK 530 billion will be needed for the Czech public health insurance, which is double the figure from 10 years ago. In 2015, CZK 252 billion was spent on public health insurance.
“The Czech healthcare system is in urgent need of reform, just like the pension system. The unfavourable demographic outlook does not only mean lower health insurance contributions in the future, but especially a significant increase in healthcare costs,” said NAPO chairman Robert Hejzak.
NAPO’s survey showed that 40% of Czechs do not mind covering health services costing under CZK 1,000 themselves.
The “Patient’s Vision” has been discussed by 135 patient organisations, and is now open for public consultation, Hejzak said. It deals with four areas: health literacy and prevention, diagnosis and treatment, chronic diseases, and patient involvement.
NAPO plans to present the survey, which was the result of cooperation with the University of Economics and the Office of Health Insurance, in more detail in December.
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According to NAPO’s proposals, health literacy should be part of school education, access to medical records, appointments and consultations with doctors should be electronic, and people should be actively invited to preventive and screening examinations.
The organisations also believe that there should be prevention plans for all major disease groups such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The state should also monitor the quality of healthcare and the effectiveness of treatment, and make the data public.
In the area of patients’ rights, NAPO calls for patient councils in all hospitals, their participation in the development of new legislation or the approval of new drugs and medical technologies, and the provision of funding for the operation of their organisations.