According to a report by the WHO Regional Office for Europe, the skyrocketing levels of healthcare costs affected between 1.0 and 19 percent of households in the countries of the region.
With the arrival of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which caused the pandemic, the health system was overburdened to the point of causing serious medical care failures, the agency said.
In 2020, in the early months of the pandemic, 40 percent of these essential services could not be fully provided.
The situation continued into 2021, when 29 percent of health services were undermined, at least partially in the first three months, according to the report.
In all countries of the European region, the maternal mortality rate is below 70 per 100,000 live births, and in terms of infant mortality, almost all countries record 12 and 25 cases, respectively, per thousand live births.
However, the region has recorded mixed progress in the number of premature deaths from noncommunicable diseases.
Between 2010 and 2018, premature deaths from cardiovascular disease and cancer fell by nearly 10 percent by nearly 20, despite the fact that these diseases account for more than one-fifth of those dying.
The report noted that the situation was exacerbated by the epidemic’s impact on cancer detection and treatment and had a disproportionate impact on mental health.
These patterns were observed to a greater extent in men aged 18-24 years, while women of the same age and at 35-44 years were less affected.
On the other hand, suicide remained among the leading causes of premature death in the so-called old continent.
Despite the downward trend, the European Office of the World Health Organization has recorded one of the highest suicide mortality rates in the world.
Europe is also one of the regions where HIV infection is increasing. Between 2015 and 2019, the number of new infections with this virus per thousand people increased by 6.0%.
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