Public sector expenditures on health are calculated as the sum of the budget allocated for the Ministry of Health and health contributions. The amount of state budget financing for health is a useful indicator as it shows the priority given to this sector and furthermore it shows the importance of citizen life in budget figures. ODA has conducted a research on the amount that the regional countries spend from their budget on health vs. the Total State Budget Expenditures.
Source: World Health Organization (WHO)
Comments and Analysis: Open Data Albania (ODA)
One of the countries that spend less of its total state budget for health is Albania. In the years 2003-2006 the share of budget allocated for this sector vs. total budget experienced growth, but in 2007 this indicator decreased by 15% comparing to a year ago. In 2008 and 2009 the total expenditures allocated for health continued to “distance” our country from the rest of the region by spending only 8.4% of budget on health, compared with the minimum level of 10.2% spent by our neighbors for this sector.
The average of this indicator for 2007-2009, clearly shows the priority of each of the region countries for health care.
Source: World Health Organization (WHO)
Comments and Analysis: Open Data Albania (ODA)
Albania is a country that has consistently spent less of its state budget to health; which pushed the private sector to high cost. In circumstances where the state does not pay a certain health service, the individual pays for itself directly. If we examine the weight of public expenditures vs. Health Total Expenditures, we will notice that Albania is a country where this indicator is the lowest. So Albania people spend more money from their pocket for health care than its neighbors. Meanwhile, Croatia is a country that spends more on health budget. In fact, the private costs to individuals are the lowest in the region.
Source: World Health Organization (WHO)
Comments and Analysis: Open Data Albania (ODA)