The Role of Other Ministries in the Health System as in all countries the Ministry of
Finance has a significant role in health care in that it determines levels of funding available.
However, even in the Soviet era, direct central government allocations (as opposed to locally
levied taxes) are believed to have accounted for no more than 3% of finances and the economic
pressures on the Ministry of Finance make any advance on this figure unlikely. The Ministry
continues to formulate national budgets and to recommend spending levels for local
government. In addition surveillance, programmes for particular disease groups and certain
types of capital expenditure are financed from federal sources.
The Ministry for Social Protection, which was established to protect the interests of the most
vulnerable and worked closely with the Ministry of Health, has now been reabsorbed into the
Ministry of Labour, which will take on responsibility for social care and (in conjunction with
Ministries of Trade/Industry) for health and safety practices.