Page 15 - THE ROMANIAN HEALTH CARE

Table 2.6 - Mortality due to cancer
Country 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Romania 265 269 270 273 275
Netherlands 300 297 284 282 284
European Union 269 267 265 262 261

Source: Eurostat, unit: standardised death rate per 100,000 inhabitants

When taking a closer look at the cancer related deaths there are some noticeable differences

with the rest of the EU.

Lung cancer is responsible for the majority of the cancer related mortality. The number of

deaths per 100,000 inhabitants is at the EU average and below the Dutch level. However, in

the Netherlands and the EU cancer mortality is slowly declining, in Romania it is slowly rising.

An explanation for the lower cancer death rate may lie in the fact that people often die of

cardiovascular diseases before they could die from cancer. This is supported by the high

mortality due to cardiovascular diseases.

Table 2.7 - Lung cancer
Country 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Romania 53 53 53 54 55
Netherlands 72 69 68 67 66
European Union 56 55 55 54 54

Source: Eurostat, unit: standardised death rate per 100,000 inhabitants

Other types of cancer that have a higher incidence compared to the EU are cancers related to

the mouth and surrounding area, stomach, liver, bile and bowel (colorectal cancer) and cervix

uteri.

2.5 Other causes of death
Tuberculosis is much more observed as a cause of death in Romania compared to the EU,

overall it is a minor cause of death (4.5 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in 2015). Mortality due
to disease of the digestive system and chronic liver disease are substantially more common

compared to the rest of the EU. Chronic liver diseases caused 46 deaths per 100,000

inhabitants; the comparable number is 5 for the Netherlands.

The data analysis found two groups of diseases that are hardly reported: Mental and

behavioural disorders and dementia.

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