Open Data Albania is analyzing the level of public spending on healthcare over the years by examining the programs that cover health services.

In accordance with Law no. 115/2021 ‘On the 2022 budget’, there are 77 billion ALL planned to be distributed to the  Ministry of Health and Social Protection, out of which 63% or 49 billion ALL will be allocated for the health services through four programs. The Funds designated for these programs make up 8% of the total 2022 budget or 3% of the Gross Domestic Product.


Source: MFE (2021) Law no. 115/2021 ‘On the 2022 budget’
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania


Source: MFE (2021) Law no. 115/2021 ‘On the 2022 budget’
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania

Primary care services foresee the provision of basic medical care, as well as prevention packages. Primary health care is provided through an extensive network consisting of urban and rural health centers and village ambulances. In 2022, about ALL 8.8 billion are designed for services of this category, which account for 18% of the funds planned for health programs or 1% of the total budget expenditures.

Secondary care services include the provision of timely and quality hospital care, uniformly across the country, reducing mortality and disability rates. This program accounts for the largest share of health expenditures, namely, 68% of the health programs funds or 43% of funds the Ministry of Health has planned for this category of services. Expenditures for 2022 are planned in the amount of ALL 33.3 billion.

The public health services is provided through national immunization programs, TBC, HIV / AIDS and STIs, epidemiological surveillance and follow-up on infectious disease (chronic diseases with consequences on public health affected by environmental conditions, as well as food safety programs, control of drinking water and reproductive health). Funds planned for 2022 are less than ALL 6.4 billion and account for 13% of the total of all funds dedicated to the health programs.

The National Emergency Services is the fourth health program, but the most inconsequential, taking only as much as 1% of the healthcare programs fund for 2022 or about ALL 334 million planned. This program aims to develop the Emergency Medical Service, as an integral part of the Healthcare System, to ensure the provision of emergency medical care in time and quality, throughout the country, and to raise public awareness on the benefits of the correct exploitation of the emergency medical services.


Source: MFE (2021) Law no. 115/2021 ‘On the 2022 budget’
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania


Source: MFE (2021) Law no. 115/2021 ‘On the 2022 budget’
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania

During the Pandemic, the program that has undergone the most budget changes is the one that covers Public Health services, with an increase of 112% from 2019 to 2022 or plus 3.3 billion. While in nominal value the highest increase was experienced by the Secondary Care Service Program with an addition of about 8.9 billion within the four years or 37% more than the funds planned for 2019. Only the National Emergency Service has marked a decrease in expenditures, planned with about 12%. In total, the healthcare programs fund has increased by 36% or ALL 12.9 billion plus, mainly as a result of managing the effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic.


Source: MFE (2021) Law no. 115/2021 ‘On the 2022 budget’
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania

Within four years, the budget funds allocated to the Ministry of Health have increased by 27% or about ALL 16 billion. 80% of said increase has gone to additional funding for the Healthcare programs. The increase rate in funds for Health is higher than the increase rate of ministry expenditure and twice the increase rate of other institutions. More specifically, within four years, Healthcare programs have experienced an increased by 36%, while funds for the Ministry have increased only by 27%. On the other hand, budgetary institutions have had a total of 18% in expenditures the 2019-2022 period.


Source: MFE (2021) Law no. 115/2021 ‘On the 2022 budget’
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania

During this time, the programs with continuous increase tendency are the Secondary Care Service, where the expenses have increased year after year, and likewise the Public Health Services. Primary Care Services in the first two years have experienced an increase, specifically in the 2021 budget plan, which has been greater as the impact of the pandemic was included for the first time in the Budget, while in 2022 there is a decrease in sensitive spending for this program.


Source: MFE (2021) Law no. 115/2021 ‘On the 2022 budget’
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania

The consolidation of the actual budget for the Ministry of Health and Social Protection to an extent exceeds the initial plan, respectively 100 and 108% in 2019 and 2020, which goes to show that reallocations and budget additions have characterized this institution. Secondary Care Services is the program with over 4% realization in 2019, 1% in 2020 and is expected at 3% for 2021. In such cases, when the actual expenditure exceeds the initial plan, it means that the budget changes during the year have led to an increase in funds for these items. A significant part of the expenditure for coping with the effects of the Pandemic were not planned based on specific health program and funds were not allocated to a specific institution, such as the Ministry of Health, but are managed by the Council of Ministers in the form of Reserve Fund or Contingency Fund. This can be explained by the nature of the expenditure, which are unpredictable and consequently, it is difficult to carry out the planning of said public funds.

Specifically, according to the report in the Draft-budget Report 2022, the cost of purchasing and providing the vaccine against Covid-19 is covered by the Reserve Fund, which by the end of September 2021 has spent about 3.47 billion ALL out of 9 billion planned for the Reserve Fund in total. Also from the Reserve Fund 0.6 billion ALL were used as current expenditure to cover the costs of taking other anti-Covid19 measures. Vaccine costs are disclosed and detailed in previous articles by Open Data Albania.


Source: MFE (2021) Law no. 115/2021 ‘On the 2022 budget’
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania

In 2022, the Reserve Fund is planned for a total of 2.9 billion ALL but vaccines are planned in another category of expenditures: as Operational Maintenance Expenditure in the amount of 2.7 billion ALL or 0.1% of GDP.

Download excel: Planned Government Expenditure for Healthcare Programs, 2022 Budget
Comments and Analysis: Open Data Albania
Translated by: Rezarta Caushaj