Журнал политических наук и связей с общественностью
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Impact of Political Systems on European Population Health

Simko V and Ginter E

Much of Europe was frozen for over forty years in an iceberg of Soviet totalitarian dominance, governed by selfimposed ideological doctrine, rather than by democratic checks and balances. Soviet Union and its people were exposed to these damaging influences for over 80 years. While the state-directed propaganda boasted with excellent results in health care, statistical facts prove the opposite. Life expectancy at birth, healthy life years and the standardized mortality for specific health disorders all indicate the adverse impact of political oppression on population health. Dire consequences have been much more prominent in Russia, reflecting longer duration of political mismanagement. Recovery from adverse health trend after breakdown of the iron curtain was faster in post communist Eastern Europe when compared with Russia. Of the countries emerging from communism, the Czech Republic made the best health progress and it is coming closest to its west European partners. Regretfully, Slovaks of the former eastern part of Czechoslovakia experienced one of the worst healthy life years of all Europe. A large gap between healthy life and total life expectancy projects an unfavorable burden of ill health misery associated with financial expense for diseases. All these are important lessons for political scientists, historians and health administrators at the time of globalization, overall integration and intensive borderless population movement.