Financing of the healthcare sector in 2018 will be reduced by 6.9%

ArmInfo. The healthcare sphere of Armenia in 2018 will receive 5.906.5mln AMD less than in 2017. This is stated in the draft budget of the republic for the next year.

According to the source, spending on the sphere next year will be reduced by 6.9% to 80, 066.4 million drams. The formation of expenditures, as indicated in the draft, is based on two main approaches:  maintaining priorities in the field of health care and ensuring social orientation.

Particularly, according to the program of providing medicines, the beneficiaries of ambulatory polyclinic and inpatient care are allocated 4, 218.9 million AMD, or 202.2 million AMD more than in 2017.

It is planned to allocate 2,159.9mln AMD less for out-of-hospital services than this year to 25.409.9mln AMD. Within the framework of community health care, 7 programs are envisaged, instead of 14 in the current year.  According to the stationary services, the allocations will make 38.139.7mln AMD, which is 1.127.6mln AMD less than the indicator fixed for 2017. The cuts will also affect programs implemented within the framework of "hospital services" - 12 instead of the current 17 programs.

Expenses for public health services will decrease by 1.145.4mln AMD - up to 3.997.3mln AMD. Instead of the current 5 programs, 4 will be provided. Other health services and programs will be allocated for 1.491.1 million AMD less -6.547.4 million AMD.

In addition to these programs, it is expected that projects will be implemented through external financing.  Credit facilities in the amount of 2,301.9 million AMD from the World Bank and co-financing of the RA in the amount of 434.4 million AMD will be directed to the implementation of the program for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases. Within the framework of the grant program on prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, it is planned to send grant funds to 1.639.9 million drams (RA co- financing will make 193.6 million AMD).