Year 2022, health spending at lowest level since 2017

Spending on health, in relation to the economy and general budget spending, has decreased in 2022, at a time when the needs of the country's population for these services are increasing due to aging and the increase in the burden of diseases. This is according to INSTAT's own official data.

Public expenditures in the health sector for 2022 are ALL 63.8 billion. In relation to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) they reached 2.98% and have recorded an annual decrease of 0.44 percentage points, while expressed as a percentage of total public expenditure, they have recorded a decrease of 0.90 percentage points, compared to 2021 .

Budgetary spending on health in relation to GDP was at the lowest level since 2017.

The economy and budgetary capacity have increased over the past decade, but funding for basic health services, such as drug reimbursement and primary care, has remained stagnant at a time when the needs for pharmaceuticals and health services in an aging population are increasing. . Official indicators refer to the uneven distribution of funds within the health budget.

For nearly a decade, the drug reimbursement budget has remained almost in place at a time when budget revenues have doubled and the financial resources of the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund (MFISF) have increased.

How the budget for health concessions is increasing, at the expense of reimbursement

In 2013, drug reimbursement expenses were 2.1% of total budget expenses, while in 2024, this ratio worsened, as they accounted for only 1.6% of total budget expenses.

From 2019 to 2024, the budget of FSDKSH (the structure that finances public health services) has increased by about 40%, while the item of reimbursement of medications only 20%, according to official data.

In 2019, the reimbursement fund accounted for 24% of the total expenses of the FSSKDSH, while in 2024, only 20.6%

The increase in funding for health is being absorbed by the PPP concessions they gave for some non-essential services in the investigation of abuses and so far there have been several arrests. For example, 1.85 billion ALL or 42% more than the value determined in the initial contract are planned for the concession of laboratory services next year.

Also, the sterilization contract will be financed next year with 1.75 billion ALL, from the 1.2 billion annual payments that were foreseen in the contract. The needs of the population for medicines are increasing more than the spread of non-communicable diseases and this is also shown by the imports of medicines, which increased by 70% from 2013 to 2022.