SYNTHETIC EVALUATION OF THE POLISH DISTANCE FROM THE COUNTRIES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION ON THE BASIS OF SELECTED INDICATORS OF THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

Abstract

Rapid development of technology, increase in living standards and demographic changes contribute to dynamic changes taking place in contemporary society. Specialists in the field of demography, pay special attention to the phenomenon of "aging society". It can therefore be assumed that in the future the demand for medical services provided by doctors specializing in treating older people will increase. The main objective of this study was to assess Poland's position against the background of the European Union countries based on selected indicators characterizing the health care system. The research attempted to answer the following questions: did the position of Poland in the aspect of the state of health care significantly change over the 10 years studied and are the countries of the European Union similar in terms of the state of health care development, and if so which typological groups are divided into? The subjects of the study were all European Union countries, and the research period was 2005 and 2015.