American Chamber of Commerce report raises the alarm: Thousands of Albanians die prematurely because of low investment in healthcare

Low public spending on healthcare in Albania affects not only the quality of services, but also citizens’ life expectancy and the country’s economic development.

This is the conclusion of a report prepared by international experts on behalf of the American Chamber of Commerce, which warns that underfunding the sector is having serious consequences both for the health of the population and for the economy.

According to the report, thousands of Albanians die prematurely because of the low level of public investment in the healthcare system.

Beyond the human cost, the document estimates that the burden of disease reduces workforce productivity, hinders innovation and causes significant economic losses.

Last year, public healthcare spending in Albania averaged 330 euros per capita, a level approximately five times lower than in comparable countries in the region and ten times lower than the European Union average.

Experts argue that increasing public funds for medicine reimbursement, expanding access to modern therapies, and strengthening disease screening and early diagnosis programs would bring considerable benefits.

According to them, if Albania were to approach the funding levels of countries in the region, the economy could generate more than 560 million euros in additional output every year.

The report recommends that the government adopt a gradual plan to raise public healthcare funding to 4% of gross domestic product by 2030, from the current 2.9%.

Achieving this objective would require 457 million euros in additional funding.

Of this amount, 287 million euros would be used to expand reimbursement for medicines, modern therapies and preventive programs, while the remainder would be invested in primary healthcare, support for medical staff, infrastructure maintenance and digitalization.

The authors of the report stress that this should not be viewed as a burden on the budget, but as an investment with a high economic return, since improving the health of the population directly affects productivity growth and economic development.

The World Health Organization also estimates that countries spending less than 3% of gross domestic product on healthcare are the ones that benefit most from increased investment in the sector.

However, the report notes that projections in the Medium-Term Budget Program indicate a further decline in the share of public healthcare spending relative to the economy.

According to the authors, this approach risks deepening social and economic costs at a time when increased investment in healthcare is needed.