Filenews 3 December 2024 - by Marilena Panayi
Europe is ageing, Cyprus is getting older. In 2023, in the European Union, people over the age of 65 constituted 21% of the population and in Cyprus the corresponding percentage was 18%.
At the same time, the healthy years of people after the age of 65 are decreasing, while the pandemic seems to have been the main cause of 600,000 more deaths in 2021 than in 2019.
Along with the general population, however, doctors in Europe seem to be ageing, with 35% of doctors at European level and 40% in Cyprus being 55 years or older.
These data are included in the latest report of the European Commission "Health in Europe at a Glance", published ten days ago and cause concern with the EU already sounding the alarm calling on member states to take the measures needed to meet the increased, as it seems, needs of their population in health services in the coming years.
"The share of people aged over 65 in the EU increased from 16% in 2000 to 21% in 2023 and is projected to reach 29% by 2050," the report said, adding that the highest proportion was recorded in Italy and Portugal where it reached 25% of the population.
Women continue to live longer than men in all countries (including Cyprus), however, it is found that men live healthier years and are economically better able to cope with the chronic problems they face.
"Older women are more likely than men to have chronic conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis, depression and dementia and are also more likely to have multiple health problems. One of the consequences of these health issues is that older women are also more likely to have difficulties performing daily activities, such as dressing, walking or bathing. At the same time, they have fewer financial resources to pay for health or long-term care."
As far as Cyprus is concerned, according to the latest recorded data, around 85% of people over the age of 65 face at least one chronic problem, while overall men and women live an average of 65.7 healthy years. After this age, 58% report experiencing limitations in their activities, while 40% say they have at least two chronic illnesses.
As far as Alzheimer's cases in Europe are concerned, it is estimated that 9% of people over the age of 65 have Alzheimer's or another form of dementia, with Cyprus recording a rate of 8%.
The pandemic also seems to have had a significant impact on both life expectancy in Europe and the healthy lives of people over 65.
According to the report, "the Covid-19 pandemic led to an unprecedented decline in life expectancy in most EU countries in 2020 and 2021. Life expectancy started to recover in many countries in 2022 and improved further in 2023. Compared to the pre-pandemic level, life expectancy in 2023 was higher than in 2019 in 18 EU countries (including Cyprus), at the same level in two countries, and lower in six countries (Austria, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece and the Netherlands).
Most excess deaths during the pandemic were among the elderly, with people over the age of 65 accounting for over 85% of all deaths.
Covid-19 deaths in the EU in 2020 and 2021. This resulted in a significant, but temporary, reduction in life expectancy at age 65. "In 2021, almost 5.3 million people died in all EU countries. That is more than 100,000 more deaths than in 2020 and over 600,000 more deaths than in 2019, mainly due to the Covid-19 pandemic." Circulatory diseases and cancer remained the two main causes of mortality in the EU and Cyprus. The third cause of death in Cyprus was Covid-19 and the fourth was respiratory diseases.
Ageing healthcare professionals – 40% of doctors are over 55 years old
In its report, the European Commission analyses in detail the issues relating to both the shortage of health professionals and the age of professionals in the Member States. As it is found, 35% of doctors at European level are over 55 years old, while in Cyprus both in terms of doctors and nurses the percentage of professionals over 55 reaches 40% (as in several other states).
"The ageing workforce of doctors is a growing concern in many EU countries. 40% of doctors in almost half of EU countries were over 55 in 2022, raising concerns about a possible large wave of retirements in the coming years."
To address the phenomenon, the report adds, "in several states there is a tendency towards doctors to work after the end of their normal retirement year". For example, "Italy has implemented measures to keep older doctors longer in the system, while at the same time boosting the training of young doctors in recent years." According to the OECD's 2023 Health Systems Characteristics Survey, six EU countries: the Czech Republic, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Portugal and Spain, reported that part of their strategies to maintain or increase the supply of doctors is to extend their working lives.
In terms of the ratio of doctors per 1,000 inhabitants, Cyprus seems to be at very good levels at the moment, with 5.4 doctors per 1000, with the EU average being 4.2/1000.
As a country, however, we record a large number of specialists compared to the number of General Physicians which translates in Cyprus as personal doctors. Specifically, 73% of our doctors work as specialist doctors and only 27% as personal doctors.
In terms of the number of nurses, Cyprus has one of the lowest ratios in the EU with 6 nurses per 1,000 inhabitants. In the same category as Cyprus are Greece (last place), Poland, Bulgaria and Latvia. The EU average is 8 nurses per 1,000 inhabitants
