Life expectancy as the primary measure of effectiveness of the health care system (Przewidywana dlugosc zycia jako podstawowy miernik efektywnosci systemu ochrony zdrowia)

Efficiency in health care can be analysed both at the macroeconomic level - we then examine the effectiveness of the health care system, and the microeconomic level - when we are dealing with the effectiveness of institutions (entities) in the health sector. The authors take the macroeconomic approach. There have been many analyses on the relationship between the level of socio-economic development of the country, the amount and structure of expenditures on health care and the effects of the health care system, as expressed by various epidemiological indicators. The effects were determined through life expectancy (average for both sexes or divided into women and men, expressed in years), and other epidemiological indicators: the incidence of specific diseases, mortality due to certain diseases, perinatal maternal mortality, infant mortality, etc. The analysis covered both the countries of the European Union, and others - the U.S., selected countries of Southeast Asia and Latin America. This study attempts to determine the relationship between life expectancy and the level of gross domestic product.