{"id":44344,"date":"2020-07-31T17:50:24","date_gmt":"2020-07-31T21:50:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1aa340fc3d.nxcli.io\/?p=44344"},"modified":"2024-01-02T16:49:12","modified_gmt":"2024-01-02T21:49:12","slug":"conducting-healthcare-research-spain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sago.com\/en\/resources\/guide\/conducting-healthcare-research-spain\/","title":{"rendered":"Conducting Healthcare Research in Spain"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Spain is a key European market for pharmaceutical and healthcare research. The World Health Organization ranks Spain\u2019s healthcare system as the seventh best in the world. Spain is also the world leader in organ transplants.\u00a0 Healthcare expenditures in Spain represent 8.5 percent of the GDP and spending per capita was US$3323.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The 2019 Bloomberg Healthiest Country Index, ranked\u00a0 Spain the healthiest country in the world. Life expectancy in Spain is the highest in Europe and the third highest globally behind Japan and Switzerland. By 2040, Spain is forecast to have the highest lifespan, of nearly 86 years and the aging population will play a significant role in driving\u00a0 Spain\u2019s healthcare sector over the next several years.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Healthcare System in Spain<\/h4>\n

The <\/span>Sistema Nacional de Salud or SNS <\/b>is a national health system based on the principles of universality, free access, equity, and fairness of financing. The system is laid down by law and applies throughout Spain constitutionally guaranteeing universal coverage with no out of pockets costs except for prescription drugs. Healthcare is either free or low-cost for residents paying social security and their dependents. The national healthcare system covers 99.7% of the Spanish population. The remaining 0.3% only has access to private medical care.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At a national level, the Interterritorial Council of the Spanish National Health Service, <\/span>Consejo\u00a0 Interterritorial del Servicio Nacional de Salud de Espa\u00f1a (CISNS) <\/b>seeks to provide cohesion for Spain\u2019s healthcare services and guarantee the healthcare rights of citizens. It is responsible for certain strategic areas as well as for the overall coordination of the health system, and the national monitoring of performance. However, the healthcare system is mostly decentralized into Spain\u2019s <\/span>17 Autonomous\u00a0 Communities<\/b>. While this has advantages for the health system being able to operate closer to its end users and deliver customized regional solutions, it does result in differences in organization, reforms,\u00a0 priority setting, and DRG (Dangerous Goods Regulations) application. This decentralization, in turn,\u00a0 presents a market access challenge for the industry. Because each region can also vary significantly\u00a0 by culture, population and budget we advise conducting research regionally to gain local insights, particularly where new products are being\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The SNS has been seeking to improve the healthcare information system information at all levels;\u00a0 notably, through the expansion of an Abridged Electronic Medical Record of clinical information among the Autonomous Communities, and through the development of the electronic prescription and a\u00a0 registry of professionals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Healthcare is delivered via a network of public and private facilities. The private sector is an important player in the Spanish health system, providing voluntary health insurance schemes to individuals. The purchase of voluntary health insurance plans is mainly driven by faster access to some services. It is closely intertwined with the public sector; private facilities are contracted to the state to provide various services specifically, in hospital and pharmaceutical care. Not all private facilities are contracted to provide services under the SNS.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hospitals<\/h4>\n

Spain boasts a network of high-quality hospitals and medical centers throughout the country. Catalonia,\u00a0 in particular, has a significantly high number of private hospitals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Source: Statistica 2019\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pharmaceuticals<\/h4>\n

Spain today holds the position of the world\u2019s tenth-largest pharmaceutical market, valued in 2017\u00a0 at EUR 26.15 billion (USD 29.55 billion). This is a result of Spain\u2019s economy maintaining a solid pace of expansion, significantly improved market access, high quality and affordable manufacturing capabilities, and a mature clinical research base. The period of austerity programs that forced price reductions and ejections from the reimbursement list is over, and once again, multinational pharmaceutical companies are viewing Spain as a top destination for investment.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to market growth, positive change is also reflected in the level of product availability and the speed of products to market once approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) (which is now back in line with timeframes of leading markets.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n