Health Systems Expert: some of Lithuania’s Indicators Among the Lowest in the EU

As the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the world’s health systems recede, Lithuania will inevitably have to return to the dealing with the pre-pandemic issues.

“The pandemic has had a major impact on the physical and mental health of the country’s population, but we are now returning to the long-standing challenges, such as the high burden of cardiovascular disease and high suicide rates. According to 2022 surveys, less than half of the Lithuanian population reported good health, the lowest in the EU,” said Marina Karanikolos, an expert at the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policy (ESSPO).

M. Karanikolos shared her insights on the data on the Lithuanian healthcare system during the Lithuanian Health Forum “Universities, Medicine and the Healthcare System: Present and Future”. The Forum was organised by the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU) and the Faculty of Medicine of Vilnius University (VU MF).

The ESSPO, together with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), produces periodic reviews for the European Commission on the main directions of health systems development in Europe. The reviews are based on the Eurostat and OECD data, research and data from the ESSPO monitoring survey.

How is the Lithuanian health system portrayed in this report?

“The healthcare funding mechanism in Lithuania is quite resilient and has helped at least partially protect the provision of health services in difficult times. The increase in public funding shows that health has been and remains a priority for the state. This was most evident in the funding allocated to the fight against the pandemic. Nonetheless, even in the pre-pandemic period of 2017-2019, public funding for health in Lithuania grew faster than its gross domestic product (GDP).

It is nonetheless essential for health systems to learn from the crises. They need to be better prepared for emergencies and future crises,” notes M. Karanikolos.

According to the expert, one of the most important elements for the long-term resilience of the health system is human resources. The scarcity and uneven distribution of human resources can constitute a serious obstacle to ongoing reforms and efforts to strengthen the system. A major challenge in this area is the shortage and uneven distribution of professionals, both geographically and in terms of the skillsets.

“Without adequate, resilient and skilled human resources, it is very difficult to carry out fundamental reforms. The shortage of nurses is particularly acute – Lithuania has just half the number of nurses compared to other European countries. Concerns should be raised, and efforts should be made to ensure the training and distribution of health professionals. It is also essential to address the challenges of retention and motivation to stay in the health system”, said M. Karanikolos.

Other indicators of concern include a lower number of healthy life years for Lithuanians than in other European countries, one of the weakest levels of efficiency of healthcare services in the EU, and high household health expenditure, mainly driven by spending on medicines and dental care.

M. Karanikolos has noted that despite the increasing health funding from the state budget, it is still insufficient in Lithuania, compared to the EU. However, the change in the distribution of funding from inpatient to outpatient services is expected to increase the efficiency of the system.

The Lithuanian University of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Medicine of Vilnius University are also part of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policy.

This network provides the health policy makers with the outlook on the health systems of their countries in a comparative context. This enables them to develop an unbiased perspective on the ongoing changes and reforms and to identify valuable practices in other countries.