Health biggest worry for Balearic citizens

HEALTH, education, housing, pensions and law and order are, in that order, the major worries of the Balearic citizens, according to a poll by the Health Barometer group and released by the national Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs. In fact, some 31.6 percent of those questioned in the islands gave health as the subject which most worried them (as opposed to a national average of 31 percent). This was followed by education (26.8 percent, 7 points above the national average).
Then came housing (14.9 percent, almost 5 points less that the national average).
Behind these came pensions (11.8 percent) and town security (5.7 percent).
According the the Barometer, some 49.6 percent of those questioned think that the problem with waiting lists in the Balearics is the same as it was 11 months ago, while 27.2 percent think that it has improved and 8.8 percent estimate that it has got worse. Continuing on the subject of the waiting lists, some 56.6 percent think that the health authorities are taking action to improve the situation (compared with the national average of 46.1 percent), while 30.3 percent think that not enough is being done (compared with a 31.1 national average). Also, some 71.1 percent of those questioned in the islands know what branded medicines are, 2 percentage points more than the national average.
So 76.8 percent will accept branded medicines most of the time if a doctor prescribes them, as opposed to 14 percent who will try to get the doctor to prescribe medicine of lesser known brand. On the other hand, nearly half of those questioned (48.7 percent) think that the primary health care service in the islands has improved in the last five years, as opposed to 5.3 percent who consider that it has got worse, and 40.8 percent who think it has remained the same. In addition, 39.9 percent said that they think specialised medical services had improved in the last five years.