WHO Report: Health is "crashing" for Albanians - The people with the greatest difficulties in Europe

Albanians face financial difficulties in paying for medical and dental care. A report by the World Health Organization (WHO) provides detailed data on the need for and access to healthcare in the countries it covers, including Albania.

Data on unmet needs come from household surveys, where participants were asked if there was a time in the last year when they needed medical or dental care but were unable to obtain it due to cost, distance, or waiting time.

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According to European Union (EU) statistics on income and living conditions, the survey is conducted annually in EU countries, as well as Albania, Montenegro, Macedonia, Serbia, Switzerland and Turkey. The most recent data available is for 2023.

The percentage of people over 16 years of age who say they were unable to obtain the necessary medical care ranges from 0.1% in Cyprus and Malta to 12.9% in Estonia. For dental care, this percentage ranges from 0.1% in Malta to 15.6% in Albania.

The main reason for not receiving medical care is waiting time in 19 EU Member States and cost in 16 of them. In dental care, cost is the main reason in all countries except Finland and Slovenia, where waiting time is the biggest obstacle.

Unmet needs for medical and dental care are more common in the lower income groups. The largest income disparities are observed in Albania and Greece for medical care and in Albania and Portugal for dentistry.

In the poorest households, financial hardship is mainly due to expenditure on medicines. Out-of-pocket payments (OOP) for medicines lead to financial hardship and unmet needs in the poorest households. Similarly, private payments for dental care place a financial burden on wealthier households, while making access more difficult for the poorest.

There are significant inequalities in affordable access to healthcare, with the poorest households being hit hardest. In the lowest income brackets, 40% of households across all EU Member States face unaffordable medical costs.

Within these strata, the financial burden due to medical expenses ranges from 2% to 74%. Correspondingly, unmet needs for medical care range from less than 1% to 23%, while for dental care from less than 1% to 17%.

Out-of-pocket payments for medicines are the main factor causing financial hardship in all EU member states, with the poorest families being most affected.