Healthcare is the backbone of a state's security—if it fails, the entire country suffers. That's why the think tank Globsec has, for the fourth year, been assessing the "readiness" of healthcare systems for future challenges. The latest results show that while Sweden leads, Slovakia is falling behind—and the time for change is now.
Who leads and who is catching up
In the 2024 ranking, Sweden leads, followed by the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, and Germany. Among the ten countries with the greatest room for improvement, nine are in Central and Eastern Europe; the exception is Greece. Slovakia is fourth from the bottom, and although it is improving in absolute terms, others are advancing faster—Latvia, for example, has already overtaken us. The Index therefore shows not only the state of play but also the pace at which countries are catching up with the leaders.
The common denominator among the top performers is that they view healthcare spending as an investment, not a cost. Slovakia, meanwhile, spends among the lowest amounts per person in Europe—approximately 38% less than the EU average and less than the regional average. Over the past decade, spending here did rise by roughly two thirds, but in many countries it grew even faster. It is not only about volume, however, but also structure: in prevention we spend about 56 € per person per year, which is among the lowest levels.
What works: prevention, innovation, people, and stability
Leaders in the ranking systematically invest in public health: from access to diagnostics to vaccination, where they achieve high coverage rates (e.g., for HPV and influenza). The approach to innovation is also important—not everything "new" is automatically beneficial, but the overall trend favors better access to modern treatment protocols. In Slovakia, after previous improvement, the process of categorizing new medicines slowed markedly in 2024, extending waiting times by roughly 220 days. Digitalization was reflected in the Index more noticeably for the first time, as the quality of data from Europe is improving and enables more precise comparisons.
Another weakness is the shortage of healthcare workers: Slovakia is among the countries with a low number of nurses and doctors per thousand inhabitants. Governance stability is also crucial—countries with longer "tenure" for health ministers are able to plan and complete reforms, which translates into access, quality, and patient trust. The good news is that targeted prevention and "healthy aging" scenarios can significantly slow the future growth of expenditures, according to estimates by double-digit percentages. For Slovakia, this implies long-term, persistent investment—a marathon, not a sprint—with a clear priority on prevention, modernization, and stable leadership of the sector.
