Analysis of public health expenditures in the area of Guadalajara during the fiscal year 1989]

In the health care area of Guadalajara health expenses are met by three agencies, although there are no local data on the participation of each of them. The present paper studies public expenditures in Guadalajara, as well as their distribution by agency, by budget items and by type of service during 1989, and their relationship with population size and the gross provincial product. Total expenditures amounted 9.085.343.426 ptas. of which the National Health Institute (INSALUD) provided 80.5%, the Regional Health Council 15.5% and the County Council 4%. This implies a health expenditure of 61.385 ptas per year (21.424 ptas for primary care, 36.278 ptas for specialized care 3.683 ptas for overheads and administrative costs). The gross provincial product amounted to 122.5 billion ptas of which 7.65% were allocated to health care. Guadalajara is a large area with a small but widely dispersed and regressive population moderately depressed from the economic point of view, and with overall health resources above national average. Distribution of health care expenditure coincides with the overall data provided by the direct management of INSALUD. The expenditure/inhabitant ratio is higher than the national average, both in absolute terms and in percentage of the gross provincial product, which is understandable when demographic characteristics and existing resources are considered.