Abstract
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) impose a heavy burden on the healthcare system of countries in the European Union (EU). An estimated 91.3% of all deaths and 86.6% of DALYs in the EU-28 were attributable to NCDs. It is imperative that the EU act on mitigating this challenging health issue and help create trajectories for building resilient health systems. Using qualitative analysis, this study examines the question of how the European Commission 2019–2024 is planning to mitigate the impact of NCDs on health systems, while taking into account the COVID-19 pandemic. A content analysis of 44 documents communicating the European Commission’s position on the issue was done. In vivo coding was performed using the software package ATLAS.ti 9. Unique codes were simplified and grouped into main themes. Five main themes were identified: ‘health plan’, ‘COVID-19’, ‘future direction’, ‘collaboration and solidarity’, and ‘persuasion’. This study shows that the European Commission is emphasising the impact of the pandemic and the relevance of policies tackling NCDs. By calling for more cross- and multi-sectoral collaboration, the Commission hopes to create the right climate for a European framework for cooperation, which can help develop EU-wide resilient health systems.
Highlights
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) impose a heavy burden on national healthcare systems in the European Union (EU)
This study identified five main themes including ‘health plan’, ‘COVID-19’, ‘future direction’, ‘collaboration and solidarity’, and ‘persuasion’ by using a qualitative approach aimed at understanding how the Commission is planning to mitigate the impact of NCDs on health systems
As De Ruijter points out, does a European Health Union mean that citizens from all Member States would have access to high-quality healthcare [23]? Our analysis shows that the Commission acknowledges the existence of wide disparities in healthcare across the Member States
Summary
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) impose a heavy burden on national healthcare systems in the European Union (EU). NCDs are a great burden on the economy of EU Member States. The economic cost of NCDs can be divided into three categories: (1) costs at the level of individuals and households (e.g., increased disabilities, decreased household income, and increased expenditures), (2) healthcare delivery costs (e.g., more need for use of healthcare services and high medical treatment costs), and (3) costs to national economies (e.g., absenteeism in labour and lower tax revenues) [3]. The four major NCDs (cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease, and diabetes mellitus) account for at least 25% of national health spending and an economic loss of 2% of the gross domestic product in EU Member States [4]. It is expected that the economic cost of NCDs will steeply increase in the future, whereby mortality rates will fall but years lived with a chronic illness will rise
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