OECD Reviews of Health Systems: Lithuania 2018
The report analyses the performance of Lithuania’s health system which has been long characterised by its institutional stability and the steady pursuit of a policy agenda aimed at adapting it to the evolving burden of disease. Today, even if total spending on health is low and out-of-pocket payments represent nearly a third of it, the system ensures fairly equitable access to care. The main challenge to the system is that health outcomes still place Lithuania among the lowest ranked in the OECD. Efforts need to be geared more systematically towards strengthening public health and improving the quality of the services delivered at primary and hospital care levels.
Overview of Lithuania's health care needs and health care system
Following a brief introduction to Lithuania’s economic and demographic context, this chapter assesses the health status of the population. The chapter also presents the main features of Lithuania’s health system and its governance. The health status of the population in Lithuania remains relatively poor by the OECD standards. The prevalence of unhealthy behaviours, such as alcohol drinking, is particularly high and a considerable share of premature death could be avoided. Spending on health is low, but the health system is overall well poised to tackle these challenges more effectively. The National Health Insurance Fund provides quasi-universal coverage to the population and contracts public and private providers. Most institutional elements of well-performing systems are in place and there is a remarkable consensus of stakeholders behind priorities which are aligned with the burden of disease and reforms which are conducive to tackling them. Strengthening data-driven performance assessment and decision making is key to improving policy impact.