Regionalization of health care in Poland and other european countries - who and what really benefits from it?

Abstract

For at least several years, both, the problem of effectiveness and efficiency in economic policy of health care is, to a larger extent, connected with its changing territorial and regional character. The process continues in practically all European Union countries, but to a different extent and in different ways. Such is the case, even despite healthcare being the most autonomic of public policies, and one, in which most member countries reserved the highest autonomy. Thus, in spite of the fact that health care is not a directing/coordinating area/matter of union institutions, at least not on its regional level, as compared with agricultural or industrial policy, the process is in fact spontaneous, mainly due to the withdrawal of central authorities from their social liabilities, and transferring them onto local authorities. Here, I do not consider whether, and to what extent, it results from the decreasing importance of welfare state in Europe, and to what extent, is taken in order taken to best adapt health care to the needs of local communities and improve its effectiveness, also in terms of best use of financial resources. (fragment of text)