10 health questions about the 10

By Albena Arnaudova
Edited by Yves Charpak
2004, viii + 178 pages
ISBN 92 890 1095 9
This publication is only available online.

Ten countries joined the previously fifteen-member European Union (EU-15) on 1 May 2004, creating EU-25. The health status of the population varies among the new members and sometimes between them and EU-15. Similarly, their health systems show different patterns of development.

How does each of the new EU members compare in terms of health to the old members? This book offers a quick and easy way to grasp the essential features of health and health systems in the 10 newcomers. Each chapter provides a concise overview of key health indicators in 1 of the 10, compares these indicators to EU-15 averages, summarizes the key aspects of the country's health system and describes what it has achieved after a decade of health reform.

This book is not a comprehensive in-depth study, but an easy guide to the knowledge available. It offers valuable reading for anyone who wants to have a quick, straightforward and accurate entry point to understanding health in the 10 new EU member states.