Mapfre analyses, ranks global health systems

Mapfre’s recent research into global health systems has shown that Japan and Singapore possess the best health systems with respect to a variety of parameters.

The Health systems: a global analysis report, prepared by Mapfre Economic Research, has identified key elements regarded as best-practices, such as: medium- and long-term savings plans to meet health needs; incentives to take out voluntary insurance; online price and insurance coverage comparison services; and strengthening the role of private insurance.

The international analysis prepared by Mapfre’s think-tank establishes a global ranking that spans 180 countries, offering an ad-hoc indicator (Indicator of Effectiveness of Health Systems, IEHS) that makes it possible to rank the different models. Spain occupies ninth place in this ranking, after Japan, Switzerland, South Korea, Singapore and Iceland.

According to the study, a health system is more effective if it has greater capacity to control mortality among vulnerable groups (children aged between 0 and 4 years) and general morbidity due to non-communicable diseases, and to facilitate better survival of the population (life expectancy).

The study also compares the health systems of 11 selected countries, to serve as a reference for the design of public policies in this field. It includes indicators such as overall health expenditure relative to GDP, expenditure per capita by sources of funding, and the penetration of private health insurance, among others. Of the countries selected, Spain occupies third position in terms of effectiveness, after Japan and Singapore.