The association denounces that the figures presented by Health are “unreal and misleading” because they include investments that will not be carried out and spending on prescriptions
The budgets for Primary Care in 2023, announced as a great bet by the regional government, are “unreal and misleading” because they are inflated with items such as spending on prescriptions and with investments that are impossible to execute. This was denounced this Wednesday by the Association in Defense of Public Health (ADSP) in a report that analyzes the accounts presented in the Regional Assembly.
The Minister of Health, Juan José Pedreño, boasted of a “historic” injection of 534 million in Primary, so that the first level of care received 22% of the total health budget. This percentage is very close to 25%, which is the objective claimed for years by professionals. However, the ADSP lowers these figures, and ensures that Primary barely represents 15.2% in the accounts for 2023, which represents an increase of just one percentage point compared to this year.
The association recognizes the commitment to increase the workforce, with 111 new positions for family doctors, 12 paediatricians and 30 nurses, among other newly created positions in the structure. But he warns that other aspects of the accounts have been inflated, such as the investment chapter. Of the 19 million budgeted for the construction, expansion and reform of health centers, more than 4.5 million are practically impossible to execute “since they do not have” these infrastructures “with the approved work project,” warns the ADSP. But, in addition, “the 2023 budget fails to comply with the provisions of the Primary Infrastructure Plan (PIIAP)”, presented in May by the regional government. In turn, the PIIAP largely includes investments that should already be completed, because they were included in the Plan for the Improvement and Promotion of Primary Care (Paimap).
Among the investments that are repeated over and over again in the accounts, and that have not been executed, the ADSP highlights four health centers, “which were budgeted last year to carry out the technical project, which was not carried out, and which are budgeted again with the same amount for 2023 ». The accounts include projects such as the one in the center of Santiago and Zaraiche, which has been waiting for two decades, or the new Molina Este center, which according to Paimap should have been open since last year.
“Artificial” allocation of expenditure chapters
But, in addition, the SMS has resorted to another strategy to increase the Health budget: the inclusion of 147 million euros for spending on prescriptions. This is “misleading for artificially assigning spending chapters to this level of care that had never been assigned,” censures the ADSP. Part of these prescriptions are actually “induced by specialists from the second level of care.” In addition, “the significant expense in hospital pharmacy is not specified or mentioned”.
The ADSP report underlines that, in effect, global Health budgets increase by 2023. Specifically, 5.6%. But it stands out that despite this the Region will continue with the third lowest health budget per capita in Spain (1,543.64 euros per inhabitant, compared to 1,908.50 national average). In addition, the 2,367 million euros consigned in total for regional public health continue to be an amount located below the actual expenditure executed year after year. Specifically, they are 303 million less than what was executed in 2020 and 132 less than what was disbursed in 2019, the year before the pandemic
Defense of Public Health regrets that the Ministry continues without addressing aspects that it considers to be a priority, such as the reinforcement of the Public Health structure after the pandemic, or the opening of health centers in the afternoon through the incentive of sliding shifts. Instead, the Ministry has agreed with the Medical Union (Cesm) to carry out laborers to reduce delays, as is already the case in hospitals. This formula can “introduce perverse elements into the operation of Primary Care teams,” warns the ADSP.
#Defense #Public #Health #accuses #Ministry #inflating #Primary #budgets #items #impossible #execute