Health Care Austerity Measures in Times of Crisis

Abstract

The current financial crisis has seen severe austerity measures imposed on the Spanish health care system, including reduced public spending, copayments, salary reductions, and reduced services for undocumented migrants. However, the impacts have not been well-documented. We present findings from a qualitative study that explores the perceptions of primary health care physicians in Madrid, Spain. This article discusses the effects of austerity measures implemented in the public health care system and their potential impacts on access and utilization of primary health care services. This is the first study, to our knowledge, exploring the health care experiences during the financial crisis of general practitioners in Madrid, Spain. The majority of participating physicians disapproved of austerity measures implemented in Spain. The findings of this study suggest that undocumented migrants should regain access to health care services; copayments should be minimized and removed for patients with low incomes; and health care professionals should receive additional help to avoid burnout. Failure to implement these measures could result in the quality of health care further deteriorating and could potentially have long-term negative consequences on population health.

Exploring public sector physicians’ resilience, reactions and coping strategies in times of economic crisis; findings from a survey in Portugal’s capital city area

“…This paper adds to the growing body of knowledge on the impact of economic crisis on health and health systems, particularly in Southern European countries [2, 8, 11, 14]. It suggests that its effects on physicians may be more nuanced than originally thought because of the inherent resilience of the profession and of the wider health system.…”

“…Because of the decrease in consumers’ disposable income, raising unemployment, and controversial austerity measures introduced to ration demand and balance budgets, there are signs that population health status, demand for health care and health policies are beginning to be affected, particularly in Southern European countries like Greece [2, 7], Italy [8, 9], Spain [10–12] and Ireland [13]. Less is known of how health workers are reacting to the crisis, and whether they still guarantee the services needed, although some preliminary qualitative evidence is beginning to emerge [11, 14, 15]. Public sector physicians are particularly crucial, given the volatility of such a costly resource, and the pivotal role they play in the organisation of health services and in the definition of policies [16].…”

“…There is already evidence that some specific countries’ negative economic outlook is forcing nurses to leave [24]; evidence from Greece and Ireland shows that unemployment, job insecurity, income reduction and also a lack of opportunity for medical research are pushing young physicians to seek jobs abroad [25–27]. Recent studies from Spain show strong opposition to the austerity measures recently introduced to the health sector [11, 15]. …”

Physical activity, body functions and disability among middle-aged and older Spanish adults

“…Firstly, this paper reports on data gathered from 2008 through 2011, coinciding with the Spanish economic crisis, a phenomenon that might conceivably have had a negative impact on health outcomes [35]. Continuing work is needed as new data become available.…”

Social and economic value of Portuguese community pharmacies in health care

“…As a consequence, from 2011 to 2014, total health expenditure decreased more than 6%, to a level of 15,681.9 million euros (M€) in 2014, which represented, approximately, 9.1% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) [3]. The substantial reduction of Public Health expenditure may have a direct impact on health care services, originating consumption restraints and ultimately limiting access to health care [4–7]. …”