Private healthcare in Central Europe expected to recover from crisis between 2011 and 2013 - July 2011

Investment activity started to pick up again on the private healthcare market in Central Europe in 2010 and 2011. Many companies returned to abandoned projects, and this resulted in new establishments being opened in 2011, particularly in Romania. However, public healthcare systems in the CE region continued to be underfunded and characterised by poor infrastructure and underpaid staff, which could constitute an additional stimulus for the private market.

The overall market in the six countries covered by this study increased by almost 25% between 2007 and 2010, from €4.7bn to €5.9bn. This happened despite the reduction in euro terms in 2009, which was caused by the global financial crisis and a reduction in patient purchasing power. In 2010, the market began to recover and is expected to improve year on year from 2012 onwards.