site.btaOne Death in Three Could Be Averted in Bulgaria, Think-Tank Says

A considerable percentage of deaths in Bulgaria could be averted through treatment or prevention. Latest estimates show that the country has the fifth highest avoidable mortality rate in the European Union. Eurostat data for 2023 indicate that Bulgaria's healthcare policy is ineffective and the quality of medical services is relatively low, says Petya Georgieva, senior economist at the Institute for Market Economics (IME), in an analysis published on the IME website on March 27.

Georgieva notes that mortality in the country is generally very high. It is particularly high when it comes to such causes as cardiovascular disorders and some other diseases. This analysis will attempt to assess the direct impact of health policy on the death rate, the expert says.

The nation's avoidable mortality level is estimated at 405.4 per 100,000 individuals aged under 75 years, compared with an EU average of 237.7. This is the fifth highest level in the EU, with the situation being worse only in Latvia, Hungary, Romania and Lithuania. The lowest rates are reported in Cyprus, Luxembourg and Italy. Countries such as Cyprus, Italy and Greece, in which the share of public spending on healthcare is similar to that in Bulgaria, have better indicators for total and avoidable deaths, a fact that raises concern and many questions. In Bulgaria, the total number of deaths which could be averted is estimated at 28,300 annually, and across the EU, the number is a little over a million.

The total number of deaths, both in Bulgaria and the EU, decreased in 2023 compared with 2022, which is one of few positive facts, the analysis says. It should be noted that avoidable mortality is measured among people under 75 and is therefore higher in countries with lower life expectancy at birth such as Bulgaria.

The avoidable mortality indicator has two components: deaths avoidable through prevention and deaths which could be avoided through quality treatment, Georgieva explains. The first component is directly linked to the effectiveness of health policy, while treatable deaths are linked to the quality of healthcare services. Looking at deaths avoidable through prevention, Bulgaria has the third highest rate in the EU, behind only Romania and Latvia, and in terms of deaths avoidable through treatment, it has the seventh highest level, which means that poor prevention and prophylaxis is the bigger problem.

This suggests quite clearly how health policy could be improved, the IME analyst says. The effort should involve more and better prevention of significant diseases, expanding prophylaxis and improving its results, maintaining a high level of prophylaxis through vaccination, mass screening for early diagnosis of diseases, and raising public awareness of the benefits of healthy living, including among children and school-goers, Georgieva concludes.