In one of his recent “Editos”, FHP President Lamine Gharbi draws attention to the Health Minister’s statement that it is necessary to analyze every euro spent. This is not a situation unique to France; on the contrary, it is essential to frame health systems, understand the increase in expenses, and allocate each euro in the most efficient way. There is a duty, of good management, to be efficient, and this obligation becomes even more evident when it comes to public money, where scrutiny is carried out before all citizens/taxpayers.
Every euro spent in every country on public health entities must be analyzed in light of its necessity, its impact on citizens’ health, and its efficiency. The same can be done in relation to the contracting of private providers.
The analysis of every euro spent implies that, on the one hand, there is awareness of the cost structure of healthcare (human resources are increasingly expensive, innovation is much more expensive, and investment and maintenance requirements have been high), so prices must be transparent, up-to-date, and fair.
Regulated prices that are not based on real costs and are outdated harm efficiency, jeopardize the activity of providers, and in the long term are the source of the unsustainability of health systems.
On the other hand, this analysis of every euro spent should have implications for the extent and manner of contracting with private providers. The public finance authorities of each country should scrutinize this process, and the watchdogs in Brussels should not allow for disguised state aid – because every euro spent is important and must be used wisely.
For many years, various studies (see, for example, the McKinsey paper “Finding untapped potential in European healthcare service providers”) have demonstrated that, due to their motivation, flexibility, and investment capacity, the efficiency of private providers can serve not only as a benchmark but also as a direct factor in promoting access and sustainability.
But, as we know, the functioning of the healthcare sector is not only important for people’s health; it is a source of innovation, employment, competitiveness, and development.
This month I would like to highlight that BIAC – Business at OECD- held a session on the theme “Health as an Economic Engine for Long-Term Growth” to reframe health not as a cost, but as a strategic investment that strengthens productivity, workforce participation, competitiveness, and fiscal sustainability. As they say “The event also marked the launch of our 2025 Stronger Together campaign report, which calls on governments and the OECD to recognise health as an economic imperative and to embed it at the centre of both economic and budgetary planning.”
From this same perspective, that a euro spent on health impacts people’s daily lives but is also an investment in the well-being and progress of society, I think the study that the OECD has just published on “The Health and Economic Benefits of Tackling Non Communicable Diseases” is also interesting and timely.
Happy reading, and let’s continue working for the benefit of health.
Oscar Gaspar, President of UEHP
Read the full version of the May 2026 newsletter HERE
