Slovakia’s healthcare system is underfunded, yet it operates surprisingly efficiently — and that is precisely its paradox. Michal Ivančin proposes that we stop seeing healthcare merely as a cost and start understanding it as an engine of innovation. His recipe calls for investments in research and for tapping the potential of hospitals and science.
Inputs and outputs: what the numbers say
The system can be roughly described by the relationship between inputs (money) and outputs (health outcomes). An indicator of outputs is, for example, “avoidable deaths” — cases that could be prevented with timely and accessible treatment. Slovakia spends significantly less per capita on healthcare than its neighbors: Austria roughly three times as much, Czechia almost twice as much.
The result is not surprising: Austria has about three times fewer avoidable deaths than Slovakia. These numbers shout two things at once — more money is needed, and at the same time the Slovak system is relatively efficient given the low inputs. Increasing “efficiency” without new resources therefore will not bring a fundamental turnaround, because the reserves are not limitless.
Three ways out of the crisis, two of them dead ends
The first path is straightforward: add funding. It is understandable and defensible, but politically hard to pass because it competes with other priorities. The second, discussed for years, is optimizing networks and increasing efficiency — necessary, but on its own it does not lead further.
The third path the author proposes is a paradigm shift: healthcare does not have to be just a “black hole” for money. It can generate its own resources and become an engine of growth if it is grounded in research and innovation. That shifts the debate from slicing the pie to how to make the pie bigger.
The Danish example and Slovakia’s opportunity
There are already models around the world that prove this. Denmark attributes approximately 17 % of GDP and about 22 % of exports to healthcare, which it built thanks to targeted support for research and innovation. The result is roughly 80-fold higher production of healthcare patents compared to Slovakia.
We have potential at home as well: hospitals are full of talented people and ideas that can be utilized and commercialized. Slovak science is, according to the ratio of published articles to funds invested, exceptionally efficient — even better than in Denmark or Czechia — it just hasn’t been given the chance yet. Unlocking this wealth and turning healthcare into a source of innovation is the key to saving the system.
