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Average so-called life expectancy in Poland is three years shorter than in the European Union. In this respect, we occupy one of the last places in the EU. “Our nation is dying out”, says health expert Dr. Jakub Gierczyński, MD, PhD.
- The average life expectancy of Poles is falling sharply. In 2020, this was mainly due to the coronavirus pandemic
- Our lives are also shortened by cardiovascular diseases and cancer. An unhealthy lifestyle doesn’t help either.
- Eurostat surveys show that last year Poland was in 29th place in terms of life expectancy for men out of 36 countries included in the analysis
- You can find more such stories on the TvoiLokony home page
The Pole lives much shorter than the average European
Life expectancy at birth in Poland is 3 years shorter than the EU average – says health expert Dr. Jakub Gierczyński, MD, PhD. In all post-socialist countries, life is shorter than in Western Europe. Only the Czechs are approaching the EU average.
In his opinion, the improvement of the health and life expectancy of Poles is possible thanks to the increased financing of medical care and access to medical services.
- Poles’ life expectancy has dropped sharply. Life in these voivodships is the shortest
The specialist spoke about it during the 2020th Summer Cancer Academy for Journalists. He referred to the latest Eurostat data from XNUMX. It follows from them that the average of the so-called life expectancy in Poland is still three years shorter than in the European Union. Last year it was 77,8 years, while the EU average is 80,9 years.
Who lives the longest?
Spaniards (83,4 years), Italians (83,1), French (82,7) and Norwegians (82,7) live the longest. In this respect, Poles are in one of the last places in the EU. Behind us are Slovaks (77,3), Hungarians (76), Lithuanians (75,8), Romanians (75,3), Latvians (74,9) and Bulgarians (74,8). We are ahead of the Croats (78), Estonians (78,4) and the Czech Republic (79,1).
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“There is a clear division into post-socialist countries and other EU countries. In all post-socialist countries, life is still shorter than in Western Europe. Only the Czechs are approaching the European Union average »- commented the health expert Dr. Jakub Gierczyński, MD, PhD.
He pointed out that in Poland there is still a large difference in life expectancy between women and men. Polish women live almost 8 years longer than Poles, while the EU average is 5,2 years. Women live with us for 82 years, and men – 74.
Causes of deaths in Poland
For many years, the main causes of death have been cardiovascular disease and cancer. In 2020, deaths from respiratory diseases increased due to COVID-19. The pandemic has widened the gap between deaths and births, which has grown to 129 in the past year. (in 2020, there were 485 deaths and 259 births).
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“Our nation is dying out” – said Dr. Jakub Gierczyński. He cited forecasts which show that if nothing changes, there may be only 2100 million Poles in 27.
According to the specialist, the average life expectancy in Poland may be longer, however, it is necessary to improve the health condition of Poles and the effectiveness of treatment of the most common diseases. Thanks to prevention, you can by 23 percent. mortality from lung cancer may decrease, but the number of people smoking cigarettes must go down. In turn, alcohol abuse is responsible for 11 percent. premature deaths.
Similar effects can be obtained by improving medical care. It is estimated that in the EU, thanks to more effective treatment by 20%. mortality due to ischemic heart disease can be reduced, in the case of colorectal cancer it may be by 16%. smaller, and breast cancer – by 12 percent.
Treatment effectiveness of neoplasms
In Poland, the effectiveness of cancer treatment is lower compared to the average in the European Union. According to CONCORD data, five-year survival in colorectal cancer is achieved in 78% of us. patients, while the EU average is 87%. The same is the case with prostate cancer (53% and 60% respectively) and breast cancer (77% and 83%). however, these data concern patients who fell ill in 2010-2014.
According to Dr. Jakub Gierczyński, improving the health and life expectancy of Poles is possible thanks to the increased financing of medical care. “We should follow the path of the Czech Republic, which has begun to allocate more funds to health care, and it is already having effects. Compared to other post-socialist countries, they are the best in this respect, ”he emphasized.
The expert expressed the opinion that Poland is already such a wealthy country that it should spend more on health. “Of course, the fundamental condition is greater funding to optimize the functioning of the health service,” he noted. Better funding will improve access to medical services. “The main reason for dissatisfaction with medical care in our country is the shortage of services,” he added.
Author: Zbigniew Wojtasiński (PAP)
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