Realization of the EU's Cohesion Policy in Health Care in the Visegrad Group Countries in the Perspective 2014-2020

Tomasz Holecki; Iwona Kowalska-Bobko; Aldona Fraczkiewicz-Wronka; Maria Wegrzyn

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2020.00133

Realization of the EU's Cohesion Policy in Health Care in the Visegrad Group Countries in the Perspective 2014-2020

Front Public Health. 2020 Apr 23:8:133. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.00133. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Tomasz Holecki¹, Iwona Kowalska-Bobko², Aldona Fraczkiewicz-Wronka³, Maria Wegrzyn⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Health Economics and Management, Faculty of Health Sciences in Bytom, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland.
² Jagiellonian University, Medical College, Faculty of Health Science, Krakow, Poland.
³ University of Economic, Department of Public Management, Katowice, Poland.
⁴ Department of Finance, Faculty of Economics and Finance, Wroclaw University of Economics and Business, Wroclaw, Poland.

Abstract

A key objective of the European Union is to strengthen regional cohesion by addressing development disparities, particularly by targeting less-favored regions (1). Initiatives related to leveling development differences in the field of health care are recognized as a one of priorities in the European Union. Therefore, when implementing cohesion policy, decisions have been made to mobilize structural funds for sectoral activities. The aim of this paper is to present the European Union's cohesion policy in the field of health care and to indicate the most important actions of the implemented programmes/projects in selected countries: Poland, the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic and Hungary-the Visegrad Group-VG4-in the period of 2014-2020. Analysis covers programmes, funding sources, and activities undertaken in achieving cohesion policy objectives in health care in the VG4.

Keywords: cohesion policy; european health policy; european union; health care; public management.

MeSH terms

Czech Republic
Delivery of Health Care*
Hungary
Poland
Slovakia