Almost half of the deaths that occurred in Romanian hospitals, in 2013, could have been avoided given the current medical knowledge and technological evolution, according to a report by the EU’s statistical office Eurostat.

Romania ranks last in Europe for the efficiency of the healthcare system and its capacity to save lives. Out of 54,827 deaths recorded in Romanian hospitals, in 2013, over 27,400 people shouldn’t have died.

Countries such as Latvia (48.5%), Lithuania (45.4%) and Slovakia (44.6%) share high rates of hospital deaths that could have been avoided.

France has the lowest rate of avoidable deaths - 23.8%, followed by Denmark (27.1%), Belgium (27.5%), and the Netherlands (29.1%).

The European average amounts to 33.7%.

editor@romania-insider.com