The Healthcare Access and Quality Index (HAQ), published in The Lancet recently, studied the quality of healthcare in 195 countries and Spain was ranked 8th in the world.
Spain Healthcare World Ranking
The study measured mortality rates from causes that should not be fatal and analysed death rates from 32 diseases and conditions from 1990 – 2015 and found that nearly all countries saw their ratings improve during that period. However Spain scored 90 points out of 100, placing it 8th in the world rankings, above the healthcare systems in Italy (89), France (88), Greece (87), Germany (86), the UK (85) and Portugal (85).
Spain Healthcare World Rankings Study
Andorra topped the Index with 95, followed by Iceland (94) and then Switzerland in 3rd place on 92 points, with Sweden and Norway in the top five and 13 of the top 15 countries were in Western Europe, joined by Australia (6th) and Japan (11th) with the UK coming 30th and the US 35th. At the bottom end of the table was Central African Republic with only 29 points. The average score had improved from 40.7 points in 1990 to 53.7 in 2015, and 167 out of 195 countries “significantly increased” their HAQ rating during that period. The study also compared the HAQ scores to countries level of development on the SDI (socio-demographic Index) and found that some countries, such as the US and South Africa, achieved a healthcare quality and access rating that was lower than should be expected for a country with that level of development. Spain scored the maximum 100 points in its treatment of tetanus, measles and diphtheria and 99 points when it came to maternity and respiratory treatment. Spain has both public and private healthcare systems with free healthcare provided to those who contribute to the Spanish social security system and their families. An estimated 19% of the Spanish population hold private health insurance, which is either used as a supplement or an alternative to public care. Spain is the world leader in organ donation, carrying out more transplants per capita than any other nation in the world and has the highest life expectancy in Europe.
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