Index is ‘influenced by industry’

The 2012 European Health Consumer Index was last night lambasted by the Health Ministry as “erroneous” and “clearly influenced” by the pharmaceutical industry.

The study was conducted by the Swedish-based think-tank Health Consumer Powerhouse, which says it is the leading European provider of consumer information on healthcare.

The ministry pointed out, however, that the organisation was not linked to the European Commission or any of its entities.

“It has been heavily criticised over the years by most European member states and stakeholders since the choice and structure of the indicators is clearly influenced by the funders,” the ministry said in a statement that was accompanied by a two-page report from the Department of Health.

Reacting to the findings, the department said amendments sent in to correct erroneous data were disregarded in a number of areas.

The most flawed conclusions, it said, were related to patients’ rights and information – contrary to the study’s findings patients had easy access to medical second opinions, together with public listings of legally registered specialists and doctors on the web.

Patients could access their medical file by contacting a designated person within Mater Dei Hospital, it added, a system that has been in place since 2001.

It also criticised HCP’s decision to focus on a “very limited” set of outcome indicators as Malta ranked among the top in overall life expectancy and the number of years individuals were expected to livein good health.

Consistent progress was also registered in patients’ survival for most of the major cancers afflicting the population, together with childhood cancer.

Despite all this, the ministry conceded it was well aware of weak areas within the health system and was striving to address them in an efficient way.

It also acknowledged Malta’s abuse of antibiotics for viral infections and was embarking on initiatives to actively reduce this.