One of the foundations of developed countries is the healthcare system. This system includes managing hospitals and other health institutions that have one common goal — to provide the best possible care for the people. The aims of healthcare systems exceed the usual notion of giving help to someone in need but are also focused on extending life expectancy and overall quality of life.
Many countries in the world direct a great percentage of their budgets towards increasing the public health systems, but sometimes that’s not enough. In order to rank countries and their healthcare, we need to state what makes a healthcare system great.
First, it’s mostly about income. The wealthier nations are more likely to have a better system that is usually funded through the country’s budget, private donations, etc. Also, the number of users in the system is essential. States with fewer residents are bound to experience high-quality service as it is just more available to them. Thirdly and not lastly, life expectancy is a great way to gauge a nation’s systems — the higher the life expectancy, the better the health system.
Whether you are preparing for a life of expatriate or you are just curious as to which the top ranked healthcare systems in the world are, this article will give you just that and even more. Read on!
Denmark
The Danes have long been considered one of the happiest nations in the world, and much of that happiness is due to their excellent health system and good life expectancy. Even though their income taxes are one of the highest in the world, the Danes are more than happy to pay them if that means all residents are insured and all treatments and visits to the doctors are free of charge. Also, the waiting lists for procedures are short, and the patient’s rights are upheld and guarantee equal treatment for all.
The UK
The United Kingdom prides greatly on the achievement of their National Health System, otherwise known as the NHS. The NHS has more than three thousand hospitals in its system and encompasses both public and private healthcare policies. Also, pharmaceutical spending has dramatically increased since its inception 70 years ago, with now more than £16bn spent in England alone. The result of such a development is the increase in life expectancy of females to 82.3 years and 79.2 for males.
Sweden
In the same way as its Scandinavian counterpart, the Swedes spend big bucks on their health. The public health system is mandatory for all residents, with only 600,000 Swedes having additional private insurance that can help with skipping a queue at best. Both private and state-funded clinics are part of the system, so you can choose where you want to be treated.
France
France tops the list of the World Health Organization with the best public healthcare system in the world. Multiple factors are contributing to this fact. One of them is that the system is open to all, and the other one is that France has the most significant number of physicians per capita, offering you a choice where and how you want to be treated. Also, the average life expectancy is cool 82.