One-third of Czechs (32%) are not satisfied with the current health system, up slightly from two years ago and up 15 percentage points from three years ago, according to a survey published yesterday by Stada, a company producing food supplements and over-the-counter medicines.
The main problems identified were poor personal experience or difficulty in contacting the health system, especially in obtaining an appointment with a doctor, which was mentioned by 40% of respondents.
Stada director Martin Slegl said Czechs’ dissatisfaction often stems from negative personal or family experiences.
Significantly more Czechs expressed distrust of politicians who make health policy, compared to the European average. Two-thirds of Czechs distrust health policy-makers, while the European average is 46%.
Across Europe, 56% of respondents are satisfied with their healthcare, almost a fifth less than in 2020. In the Czech Republic, trust is 68% this year, similar to Germany.
90% of Czech respondents said they do at least one positive thing for their health, and 41% of them do regular exercise.
Only a third of Czechs consider their diet healthy, compared to half of people across Europe. On the contrary, more people in the Czech Republic take food supplements than the European average; in Europe the figure is around one third, while in the Czech Republic it is over half.
Around 2,000 Czechs aged over 18 responded to the survey in February and March. Across Europe, there were 46,000 respondents.