Although the government has promised to increase funding for the treatment of patients with serious illnesses, the reality of the draft budget shows another priority: continuing payments for the controversial healthcare concessions.
The financing of concession contracts enters a new phase in 2025, but the burden on the budget remains high. Two of the most costly agreements — sterilization of surgical instruments and dialysis services — will continue to absorb millions of euros until the end of 2026, before being finally closed.
For sterilization alone, payments peak next year at 1.9 billion lek, before falling to 500 million in 2026. For dialysis, funds will go to 960 million lek in 2025 and 815 million in 2026, to be closed later. In total, these two contracts have cost the state about 250 million euros in the period 2016-2026.
But as these two agreements are coming to an end, another one is gaining more and more weight: the laboratory contract, which runs until 2030. It is becoming the main axis of the PPP scheme in healthcare, with funds increasing every year — from 1.8 billion lek in 2024 to 2.15 billion in 2027 — doubling compared to initial projections.
These contracts, signed in 2016, have been repeatedly mentioned in the reports of the Supreme State Audit and have been the subject of investigations by SPAK for cost inflating, unjustified payments and dubious procedures.
In contrast, cancer treatment programs remain budget-limited, with many forced to purchase vital medicines abroad.
In practice, although the government announces an increase in funding for patients, public health will continue to foot the bill for concessions that are being investigated for abuse.
