Surprising result: Hungary in top 10 in a health list

Hospital waiting times, healthcare fees and ambulance costs have recently become a sensitive issue worldwide. But some countries are working faster than others. Hungary is in a surprisingly good position on the list.

For example, Australia has the seventh worst waiting times for doctors and specialists, according to a survey by the US organisation NiceRx. Ireland has the fastest average ambulance response time in Europe, according to a Statista survey.

Because of the many different statistics and surveys, it can be difficult to know how the health system in each country compares with the others. So the health insurance experts at Compare the Market decided to dig a little deeper.

By analysing eight separate factors, including the number of hospital beds, doctors and nurses, and average waiting times for surgery, 34 countries were ranked according to where the waiting times are shortest (and longest). Europe performs very well, with 6 of the top 10 countries in the Old Continent.

Countries with the shortest waiting times for surgery:

1. Sweden

Sweden regularly ranks first for happiness, childcare and well-being, and is no exception when it comes to waiting times for surgery. Not only does the country have the highest number of doctors and nurses per 10,000 inhabitants, but the average waiting time for surgery is 50 days, the third lowest in the world behind Italy and Hungary (!).

Although not all countries record social media opinions on this, Sweden is the second most positive country, with 40 percent of the population having a good opinion of medical care.

2. Switzerland

Switzerland comes second, with the third highest number of nurses per 10,000 inhabitants, meaning that people already in hospital are more likely to receive more time and care than in other countries with fewer staff.

Not only that, but a survey of waiting times for tests found that the Swiss were the least happy, with just 34 percent saying they had been kept waiting. Moreover, the satisfaction of the population is the fourth highest when it comes to medical treatment, with a Numbeo score of 72.04.

3. Japan

With more hospital beds per 10,000 inhabitants than any other country in the world – 129.8 – Japan has the third fastest growing healthcare system. Japan offers universal healthcare, which is relatively cheap. It pays 30 percent of total medical bills and people are largely satisfied with it. The level of satisfaction with Japanese healthcare is the third highest according to Numbeo.

Photo: Compare the Market

Hungary is 6th

Hungary is 6th on the overall list. Hungary also scores well in Average waiting time for surgical treatment and social media positive sentiment. But it is in the lead in the hospital beds per 10,000 category, scoring 4.06 overall.

Peru is at the other end of the list. There are not enough doctors, hospital beds and nurses. They are followed by Colombia, where the lack of nurses is also a problem. Third on the imaginary podium is Chile, where the highest proportion of people have negative opinions. Available data show a staggering 221.3 days waiting time for surgery.