In 2022, lower-income families found it harder to cover their regular expenses, especially medicines, which continue to account for the largest share of spending related to primary health care or emergency care.
According to researchers Pedro Pita Barros and Eduardo Costa’s report “Access to Health Care 2022 – Citizens’ Choice in the Post-Pandemic Period”, which will be released on Tuesday, the proportion of families requiring a brand-name drug to be replaced with an appropriate generic drug increases with economic hardship, rising from 33% in 2019 to 56% in 2022.
“This effect is not surprising in that it exists, but the magnitude of the effect was somewhat surprising, [o facto de] be so strong,” researcher Pedro Pita Barros admitted in statements to Luce.
The expert also recalled that the poorest suffer in two different ways, “which reinforce each other.”
On the one hand, because of the type of work they do, “they often don’t have the same opportunities to work remotely or avoid public transport as other people in higher-income occupations,” as they are more vulnerable. to the risk of disease.
On the other hand, these are also likely to be professions in which the economic impact of reduced activity during the pandemic will be greater.
“They are ultimately at greater risk, but also likely to have less financial inclusion or more financial uncertainty than they would be outside of the pandemic. (…) explained.
In terms of public intervention, Pita Barros says that this situation should be of concern to decision makers to “better understand how you can try to restore these situations and now guarantee better access” to these people.
“The economic part, in principle, will recover with the recovery of the economy. The medical part, it will have to be understood if specific measures of additional financial protection are required, in particular in the field of medicine, ”he insisted, recalling that it is in prescription drugs that are the biggest financial burden for these families.
A report by economists Pedro Pita Barros and Eduardo Costa “Access to Health Care 2022 – Citizens’ Choice in the Post-Pandemic Period” will be presented on Tuesday at the BPI All in One Auditorium in Saldanha, Lisbon.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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