Efficiency of Health Care in the EU28 Countries with the Innovation Factor Taken Into Account

The article presents an attempt to analyse the efficiency of health care systems in sub-regions of Poland in comparison to sub-regions of EU countries, using the indicator of average life expectancy and an innovation indicator developed on the basis of the European Innovation Scoreboard. The basic source of data presented in the article is commonly available data from databases of countries or international organisations: the Polish Central Statistical Office (GUS), Eurostat, WHO. Comparative methods were applied to the following indicators: the expenditure on health care, life expectancy and innovation at the country level. Life expectancy depends mainly on health expenditure, but also on access to innovative therapies. Countries referred to as “modest innovators”, to which Poland belongs, have a lower indicator of life expectancy than innovation leaders. Innovation is becoming the main engine of progress in health care.