Central Europe: Changing Patterns Of Health Care

Western therapeutic advances are expected to be followed in thedeveloping central European markets of Hungary, the Czech and Slovak Republics, Poland and Slovenia, but they will have to be adapted to much lower per capita spending in these countries for some years, NERA economist Daniel Whitaker has told a Confederation of British Industry conference in London.

However, there may also be "leapfrogging," ie purchasing of the most advanced products because what the countries now have is so lacking. This has happened in central Europe's banking sector, which is now ahead of the west in information technology simply because it started from scratch. He also forecast that these states will utilize a cost/benefit across-the-board approach to purchasing, rejecting no product purely on grounds of cost.

The development of social insurance funds is the way forward in the five states, he said. The system works best with several funds to choose from, and they can compete on price and quality. Public-sector delivery systems will continue for a number of years, albeit offering inferior service to the funds. The fast-growing complementary insurance market will buy at the top end of the market, he said.