Is society ready to pay the price of health care, asks industry expert

It is not great news when we read that the Statutory Health Insurance systems face financial difficulties. It is not great news when the press blames the pharmaceutical industry for it, says Gilbert Mertens, health care policy advisor – EU and International Institutions, and a former senior executive at Germany’s Merck KGaA. In his opinion, instead of coming up with cost containment measure after cost containment measure, it is time to push for structural change... "new thinking" is long overdue.

Patients want “care" when they suffer, not rational budget talk, says Dr Mertens. Is society ready to pay the price? Will society give priority to ethics and solidarity or deny patients even short period of life extension because of the growing importance of “economics of care”??

Not too long ago, the cost of medicines did not matter that much, and only the efficacy, safety and quality of the pharmaceuticals involved were the parameters any decision was based on.