26 February 2019 - According to the latest rankings of the Euro Health Consumer Index (EHCI) List, out of 35 countries - Montenegro is ranked 23rd and has progressed in relation to the previous year for two positions, which is shown in the data from the Health Consumer Powerhouse Organisation.
The EHCI, started in 2005, is the leading comparison for assessing the performance of national healthcare systems in 35 countries. The EHCI analyses national healthcare on 46 indicators, looking into areas such as Patient Rights and Information, Access to Care, Treatment Outcomes, Range and Reach of Services, Prevention and use of Pharmaceuticals.
On the occasion of progress in ranking, Montenegrin Health Minister Kenan Hrapović said that, after the success of 2017, when Montenegro achieved the biggest leap from all European countries and when the country’s ranking went up from the 34th position to the 25th, the health system leaders had a very serious task - to maintain the achieved result and, to the extent possible, make further progress. "We already have reason to consider ourselves to be serious competition with rich, modern health systems that have a long tradition of nurturing excellence in providing health services. We started preparing for this year's ranking after the publishing of last year's results. We did not boast too much, but we realized that success can only be true if it is neither a case study nor a product of fortunate events. We carefully analysed each of the 48 indicators realistically evaluating the possibilities and potentials of the Montenegrin health system and directing the focus of the activities towards the areas in which we achieved results, in the desire to make them visible, "Hrapović said.
This year’s recommendations by the Montenegrin Ministry of Health for progress in ranking is to pursue low infant mortality, the availability of modern malignant disease treatment, and the decision to introduce HPV vaccine for women in order to reduce the incidence of cervical cancer.
Director General of the Directorate for Quality Control of Health Care and Human Resource Development in Health Vesna Miranović, PhD, said that the current management structure in the Ministry of Health is decisive in the implementation of key strategic documents, and that all activities that they have implemented and which are in progress derive from these documents.
The director of the Health Insurance Fund, Sead Čirgić, highlighted that patients, especially those with severe illnesses, were provided with modern therapy in Montenegro, and that, in terms of drugs, increased availability and better market availability were ensured.
Four years ago, Montenegro was at the bottom of the EHCI list based on many indicators, which include the availability of health care for patients, outcomes of treatment, the extent and scope of services, and the prevention and use of pharmaceutical products.
The Montenegrin health system is better ranked than 12 European countries. Regarding the countries of the region, Serbia is in the 18th position, Croatia is 24th, and Northern Macedonia is 25th.
The first on the list of ECHI this year is Switzerland, which took the Netherlands’ place, and the last country in the rankings is Albania.
