Castilla y León invested in the health of each citizen in the worst year in the history of public health, that of Covid, almost more than 400 euros than five years ago, which allowed it to sneak into the autonomies with the highest spending per person. Specifically, in 2020, it dedicated 1,863 euros to each citizen, above the national average, which closed with 1,770, according to the latest Public Health Expenditure Statistics analyzed by Ical.

In 2016, the Ministry of Health had allocated 1,473 euros per inhabitant, when it closed a budget of 3,600 million euros, with a weight in the Gross Domestic Product of the Community of 6.6 percent. In that exercise, the data was very similar to that of the country as a whole, with a representation of health spending in GDP of six percent, and an average investment of 1,436 euros, which was 37 euros less than in Castilla y León.

Although spending has risen slowly, in all the years studied the investment in Castilla y León has been slightly higher, with a clear difference in the year of Covid of 93 euros over the average for Spain, which in 2019 was 68. This is This is because the Community managed to close a consolidated budget of 4,454 million in the year of the pandemic, with an impact of eight percent of GDP, five points above the 7.5 percent of Spain.

It is true that at that time the virus 'ate' a large part of the resources, and that spending went from being in the range of 6.5 and 6.7 of GDP in the previous four years to eight percent, if well in Spain it also grew, but at a lower rate.

If the data is analyzed by autonomous community in 2020, it can be seen that Castilla y León, with 1,863 euros per inhabitant, was the third autonomous community with the highest public spending, only behind the Basque Country (1,948) and the Principality of Asturias (1,892). ).

Meanwhile, in the GDP indicator, which shows the importance that health has in each regional economy, it shows, in this case, that Castilla y León was in intermediate positions in 2020, above the average for Spain, with eight percent cited, compared to 7.5 percent in the country.