State of Health in the EU Malta Country Health Profile 2017
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
State of Health in the EU Malta Country Health Profile 2017 European on Health Systems and Policies a partnership hosted by WHO b . Health in Malta The Country Health Profile series Contents The State of Health in the EU profiles provide a concise and 1 • HIGHLIGHTS 1 policy-relevant overview of health and health systems in the EU 2 • HEALTH IN MALTA 2 Member States, emphasising the particular characteristics and 3 • RISK FACTORS 6 challenges in each country. They are designed to support the efforts of Member States in their evidence-based policy making. 4 • THE HEALTH SYSTEM 7 5 • PERFORMANCE OF THE HEALTH SYSTEM 9 The Country Health Profiles are the joint work of the OECD and 5.1 Effectiveness 9 the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, in 5.2 Accessibility 11 cooperation with the European Commission. The team is grateful for the valuable comments and suggestions provided by Member 5.3 Resilience 12 States and the Health Systems and Policy Monitor network. 6 • KEY FINDINGS 16 Data and information sources The data and information in these Country Health Profiles are The calculated EU averages are weighted averages of the based mainly on national official statistics provided to Eurostat 28 Member States unless otherwise noted. and the OECD, which were validated in June 2017 to ensure the highest standards of data comparability. The sources and To download the Excel spreadsheet matching all the methods underlying these data are available in the Eurostat tables and graphs in this profile, just type the following Database and the OECD health database. Some additional data StatLinks into your Internet browser: also come from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/888933593703 (IHME), the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) surveys and the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as other national sources. Demographic and socioeconomic context in Malta, 2015 Malta EU Demographic factors Population size (thousands) 432 509 394 Share of population over age 65 (%) 18.5 18.9 Fertility rate¹ 1.5 1.6 Socioeconomic factors GDP per capita (EUR PPP2) 26 800 28 900 Relative poverty rate3 (%) 8.5 10.8 Unemployment rate (%) 5.4 9.4 1. Number of children born per woman aged 15–49. 2. Purchasing power parity (PPP) is defined as the rate of currency conversion that equalises the purchasing power of different currencies by eliminating the differences in price levels between countries. 3. Percentage of persons living with less than 50% of median equivalised disposable income. Source: Eurostat Database. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein are solely those of the authors any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any and do not necessarily reflect the official views of the OECD or of its member countries, or of the territory, city or area. European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies or any of its Partners. The views expressed Additional disclaimers for WHO are visible at http://www.who.int/bulletin/disclaimer/en/ herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union. This document, as well as any data and map included herein, are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over © OECD and World Health Organization (acting as the host organization for, and secretariat of, the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies) STATE OF HEALTH IN THE EU: COUNTRY HEALTH PROFILE 2017 – MALTA Highlights . 1 1 Highlights Malta Life expectancy in Malta is high and the population spend on average 90% of their lifespan in good health, longer than in any other EU country. The health system provides universal coverage and access to a comprehensive set of services, but private out-of-pocket payments remain high. New public-private partnerships aimed at increasing capital investment and quality of care are changing the role of the Ministry of Health from a pure provider to that of provider and contractor of services. Health status Life expectancy at birth, years MT EU Life expectancy at birth was 81.9 years in 2015, up from 78.4 years in 2000 and above 82 81.9 the EU average of 80.6 years. Life expectancy gains are mainly the result of a reduction 81 of premature deaths from cardiovascular diseases, though these remain the leading 80 80.6 cause of death for both men and women. 79 78.4 78 77.3 81.9 77 YEARS 2000 2015 Risk factors % of adults in 2014 MT EU In 2014, 20% of adults in Malta smoked tobacco every day, which is slightly below the EU Smoking average. Heavy alcohol use also remains below the EU average, but consumption per adult 20% has increased since 2000, reaching 8.5 litres in 2014. Obesity prevalence is the highest in the EU and represents a significant public health challenge, with a quarter of the adult Binge drinking 19% population and 30% of 15-year-olds overweight or obese. Overweight/ obese 25% Health system Per capita spending (EUR PPP) MT EU Health spending has increased steadily since 2005. In 2015, Malta spent EUR 2 255 per €4 000 capita on health care, compared to the EU average of EUR 2 797. This equals 8.4% of €3 000 GDP, below the EU average of 9.9%. Malta is among the top six EU countries with the €2 000 highest private spending on health, amounting to 31% of total health expenditure in 2015, €1 000 the majority of which is paid out of pocket. €0 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 Health system performance Effectiveness Access Resilience Amenable mortality in Malta remains Access to health care in Malta is good, with Malta faces some fiscal close to the EU average, but has fallen low numbers reporting unmet needs for challenges from an rapidly over the past 15 years due to lower medical care and little variation between ageing population, mortality from cardiovascular diseases income groups. increased chronic care and some treatable cancers needs and controls linked Amenable mortality per 100 000 population MT EU % reporting unmet medical needs, 2015 to Fiscal Responsibility legislation for Eurozone countries. A 2015 Health System 180 182 High income All Low income 175 Performance Assessment identified future 160 MT improvement avenues to respond to these 140 pressures. 126 EU 123 120 2005 2014 0% 3% 6% STATE OF HEALTH IN THE EU: COUNTRY HEALTH PROFILE 2017 – MALTA 2 . Health in Malta Malta 2 Health in Malta The Maltese population enjoys high life than men. Life expectancy at the age of 65 has also increased by expectancy one fifth since 2000 to 20.3 years, higher than the EU average (19.7 years). However, there is at least a three-year gap in life expectancy Life expectancy at birth in Malta has increased markedly over between people with lower and higher education qualifications.1 the past decade, surpassing the average increase across all EU countries. It reached 81.9 years in 2015, the sixth highest among EU 1. Lower education levels refer to people with less than primary, primary or lower secondary education (ISCED levels 0–2) while higher education levels refer to people with countries (Figure 1), with women living on average 4.3 years longer tertiary education (ISCED levels 5–8). Figure 1. Life expectancy in Malta has increased substantially over the last 15 years Malta Years 2015 2000 90 81.9years of age 85 EU Average 80.6 years of age 83.0 82.7 82.4 82.4 82.2 81.9 81.8 81.6 81.6 81.5 81.3 81.3 81.1 81.1 81.0 80.9 80.8 80.7 80.6 80 78.7 78.0 77.5 77.5 76.7 75.7 75.0 74.8 74.7 75 74.6 70 65 60 EU Italy Spain Latvia Malta France Cyprus Poland Ireland Greece Austria Croatia Finland Estonia Sweden Belgium Bulgaria Portugal Hungary Slovenia Romania Denmark Germany Lithuania Netherlands Luxembourg Czech Republic Slovak Republic United Kingdom Source: Eurostat Database. The number of healthy life years is the The leading cause of death in Malta is highest in the EU cardiovascular diseases, with a quarter of Not only do Maltese men and women live longer, they also enjoy deaths occurring prematurely close to 90% of their lifespan in good health. In 2015, the number Increases in life expectancy are mainly the result of a decrease of healthy life years at birth was 72.6 years for men and 74.6 in deaths from cardiovascular diseases, although they remain 2 years for women, the highest rate in the EU for women, and the the leading cause of death for men and women (Figure 3). Death second highest rate for men (Figure 2). Similarly, Maltese men rates from ischaemic heart disease in Malta remain above the EU and women aged 65 and over can expect to live 13.4 years and average but have shown a relatively consistent downward trend. 14.0 years respectively of their remaining life free of disability, the More than a quarter of all deaths from ischaemic heart disease second highest among EU countries. Despite these good results, the were premature, occurring in people aged under 75. These are increase of risk factors such as obesity and alcohol consumption in potentially preventable through appropriate action within the health recent years (see Section 3) may well have a negative impact on care system and wider policies affecting population health (see healthy life expectancy in the future.