Costs of Rheumatoid Arthritis in a Balkan Country (Serbia)
Costs of Rheumatoid Arthritis in a Balkan Country (Serbia)

Summary/Abstract: The economic aspects of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Balkan countries were not studied. The majority of Balkan countries (Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, and Romania) have made rapid socio-economic transitions during the last decade from planned economies of the socialistic type to liberal, market-driven economies, resulting in their shift from lower- to higher-middle-income countries (2007 gross national income per capita shifted from $3,706 to $11,455). These countries also have similar annual health budgets per capita (Bulgaria: $272, Serbia: $212, Montenegro: $212, and Romania: $250). While drug and medical device costs in Balkan countries are similar to costs in developed European countries, costs of health care services are much lower. This creates a different economic environment in health care and could produce significant differences in the cost of the same medical procedure or drug in high-income European countries and higher-middle-income Balkan countries. [...]

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