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The last report of the "Together for Life" association on the analysis of the budget expenditures of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection (MSHMS) identified the diminished role of the health sector in government funding, unjustified shifts of priorities in budget items, as well as problems with the consolidation and transparency of financial data from the MSHMS.
A report published by the association 'Together for Life' in June reflects the monitoring of the expenditures of the health and social protection sector during the past year.
The experts' analysis shows that in relation to the general public expenses, the health and social protection budget in Albania has decreased by 11.3%, which is the lowest level of this budget since 2017.
"The decrease of almost 1 percentage point in the expenditure in the field of health and social protection proves that the government's priorities have shifted to other areas", the report cites, emphasizing that this consequently translates into high payments from the pockets of Albanian citizens for health Theirs.
"As reported in the official data, Albanians' out-of-pocket expenses for health are the highest in the region with a level of 59.7% for 2021," added the report.
Compared to the countries of the region, health sector expenditures for Albania in relation to general public expenditures are the lowest in the Balkans, with an average of 10.1% during the period 2016-2021.
The initial budget allocated for the year 2023 for the Ministry of Health and Social Protection (MSHMS) was in the amount of 78.04 billion ALL.
The approved programs for the allocation of budget funds in 2023 are specifically those related to management-administration planning, primary and secondary health care services, public care services, social care, as well as the rehabilitation of the politically persecuted.
The analysis of the report also aims to present the deviations of the budget plan and the reasons behind them.
"The deviations of the initial budget plan allocated for 2023 amount to ALL 693.4 million less compared to the initial budget and consist of a shift of financial resources from health policies to those of social protection", write the experts of the report
According to the report, unjustified shifts of priorities are also observed, from infrastructure investment projects in the 'Primary Care Services' program to those for the supply and deployment of equipment.
The 'Together for Life' report also underlines the need for increased transparency regarding the budget expenditures of the Ministry of Education and Culture.
"The quality of the published monitoring reports continues to be weak, being associated with a significant lack of transparency in the use of budget funds", concludes the report. / BIRN
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