The burden of disease increased by 6% in 2023, but reimbursement funds are not enough

2024-04-02 07:35:00, Shëndeti CNA

The burden of disease increased by 6% in 2023, but reimbursement funds are not

The burden of diseases in the Albanian population is increasing from year to year, as a result of the aging of the population and the change in lifestyle.

The data from the Ministry of Health, in the monitoring reports for 2023, show that the natural increase of chronic diseases for the 8th month of 2023 is 5.9% compared to 2022.

The new contingent of patients requires continuous treatment with free medication, but reimbursement funds are not sufficient.

In the official report, the Ministry of Health has pointed out that the funds for reimbursement are not sufficient, requesting that the ceiling of the Fund for 2023 be increased

"The average number of diagnoses per patient for the first 8 months of 2022 is 1.83 diagnoses, while the average number of diagnoses per patient for the first 8 months of 2023 is 1.96 diagnoses.

The increase in the number of diagnoses for which a patient is reimbursed is 6.9% higher in 2023," analyzed the Ministry of Health.

The increase in chronic diseases that include new cases and cases with changes in medication regimens affects the progress of reimbursement expenditures.

According to the Ministry of Health, in the 8th month of 2023, 74,331 new chronically ill cases were recorded. who require at least an additional amount in the reimbursement fund worth 270,020,711 ALL, or 3.3% more.

Comparable data show that while the burden of disease in the population has increased rapidly in recent years, public funds that reimburse the treatment of the sick have not followed the same trend.

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

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 FSKDSH, while in 2024 only 20.6%/ Monitor.al