Although it still has much work to do in terms of improving the range and reach of the services it provides, Slovakia’s national heathcare system has been declared CEE’s best, ranking 13th out of 35 countries rated by the 2017 Euro Health Consumer Index (EHCI), published by the Health Consumer Powerhouse. The index, published on January 30, shows that besides Slovenia a number of CEE countries have also made great strides in improving healthcare, particularly Slovenia (16th), the Czech Republic (17th) and Estonia (19th). No other emerging European countries make the top 20. According to the report, the Netherlands boasts Europe’s best public healthcare system, emerging-europe.com reports.

According to the EHCI, some eastern European EU member systems are doing surprisingly well, particularly Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Estonia, considering their much smaller healthcare spend in Purchasing Power adjusted dollars per capita. However, readjusting from politically planned to consumer-driven economies does take time. Some observations from the report follow:

• The Czech Republic has always been a solid performer among CEE countries, and in 2017 lands in a tied 16th place with Slovenia (726 points). The main difference from neighbouring Slovakia is a decent but not excellent score on Accessibility.
• Slovakians, Czechs and Hungarians go to the doctor more than all other nations.
• Spanish healthcare seems to rely a bit too much on seeking private care for real excellence; on Outcomes indicators in 2017 being on par with the U.K. and the Czech Republic.

Source: 2017 EHCI report  

Some Slovak politicians said the results were inaccurate and such a big progress in the area of waiting times, for example, would be "a miracle" (Source: Radio Slovensko).