CSB rejects trade union concerns about misleading statistical reports on health care / Article / LSM.lv

According to the Latvian Health and Social Care Workers’ Trade Union (LVSADA) in public concerns expressedthat the Latvian institutions artificially increase government expenditure on health care in their statistical reports, the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) rejected such suspicions, explaining that several indicators are calculated in the reports. –

The CSB informed that in the system of national accounts there are two indicators simultaneously:

• general government expenditure3 (including by function (COFOG));
• general government final consumption expenditure4.

General government expenditure refers to the size of the general government institutional sector, thus allowing a cross-country comparison of total general government expenditure or expenditure directly on health care.

General government final consumption expenditure is calculated from total government output minus revenue from the sale of goods and services and plus social transfers in kind through market producers. General government final consumption expenditure is a component of the use side of gross domestic product that characterizes the use of goods and services produced by government for the benefit of society.

The CSB pointed to 2018, when general government expenditure on health was 1,172 million euros, while general government final consumption expenditure on health was 847 million euros.

All European Union member states calculate their data according to a common methodology (currently ESA 2010), thus ensuring mutual comparability of data, the CSB emphasized. Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Union, has a coordinating role in the development and application of the methodology in the European Statistical System.

In addition, ESS experts exchange views on the interpretation of the methodology in specific cases, as appropriate, and in some cases Eurostat experts also provide their views. In addition, Eurostat also regularly conducts dialogue visits to the Member States in order to gain on-site confidence in the correct application of the methodology, the CSB indicated.

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