Highlights
15 February 2024
At the opening of the workshop on tracking health spending, Baktygul Akazieva, a technical officer from the WHO Barcelona Office for Health Systems Financing, explained: “Health accounts [an international accounting framework for systematically tracking health spending] is a public good supported by WHO, along with international partners like the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the European Union and the World Bank. It’s crucial to monitor health spending indicators while moving towards universal health coverage. We at WHO publish these data on an annual basis on the Global Health Spending Database. In the WHO European Region, North Macedonia’s commitment to producing robust and high-quality health accounts studies is exemplary, showcasing their dedication to evidence-based policies”.
The workshop’s objectives were fully met. Policy-makers are now better prepared to effectively monitor and manage health spending. National health accounts’ studies will be used to:
- improve financial transparency and accountability
- optimize resource allocation
- strengthen the governance of the health system
- identify potential inefficiencies
- advise on how to improve health outcomes.
Referring to capacity enhancement, Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Maja Manoleva remarked: “The establishment of tracking of health spending using the System of Health Accounts (SHA) 2011 methodology marks a milestone in our commitment to ensuring efficient health resource allocation and better health outcomes. The Ministry of Health will continue its support of health accounts production in collaboration with the State Statistical Office and other relevant institutions, with the support of WHO, paving the way thereby towards a healthier and more transparent future”.
At the workshop the organizers recalled a significant milestone achieved in 2020 – the institutionalization of health accounts production in the State Statistical Office. Although challenging, this institutionalization guarantees that health accounts will remain an independent and ongoing aspect of the institution’s planned procedures starting from 2024.
Apostol Simovski, Director of the State Statistical Office, said on the occasion: “Truly, the institutionalization of any new statistical data system comes with inherent challenges, but the System of Health Accounts is a necessary investment for transparency and decision-making based on evidence in the health system. The support of the Ministry of Health and international organizations is key in this process”.
Analytical data insight has enabled participants from various institutions to shape the way forward. They now feel enabled to contribute to policy-making by adopting an informed view on the importance of health spending.
Dr Georgi Kalpah from the University Clinic for Psychiatry, referring to mental health, pointed out the best take-away from the workshop for his field of work: “The presented report on mental health spending offers a considerable overview of the situation in the field as well as directions for improvement of the care of our patients, particularly through the improvement of mental health, the improved distribution of financial resources and the effort to minimize citizens’ expenditure on treatment and medicines”.
All participants clearly agreed on the benefits of the workshop. They concluded that it was informative, inspiring, and empowering for the analysis, monitoring and advocacy for transparent and effective health spending.
At the end of the workshop, Baktygul Akazieva concluded: “Tracking health spending using SHA 2011 methodology isn’t perfect, it has limitations, obviously; but it’s a powerful tool. It can contribute to the monitoring of health systems towards universal health coverage. It’s not just about numbers, it’s about improving health outcomes, one policy at a time. Let’s make health accounts more than data, let’s make them a force for change which contributes to the transformation of health systems”.
Event notice
20 December 2023, Skopje, North Macedonia
The WHO Country Office in North Macedonia will organize a workshop on tracking health spending using the System of Health Accounts (SHA) 2011 methodology. The workshop will bring together representatives of the Country Office and the WHO Barcelona Office for Health Systems Financing, together with partners – the Ministry of Health, the Health Insurance Fund and the State Statistical Office – to discuss the critical role of health spending data in shaping evidence-based policies in North Macedonia. Tracking health spending using the SHA methodology is the life blood of a country’s health system expenditure monitoring, vital for assessing progress towards universal health coverage.