Health Care Sector The country’s growing economic potential has facilitated the development of the healthcare sector.125 Budget allocations for public health care have increased substantially since 2007, from 4.7% of the GDP to 6.3% of the GDP in 2017. This resulted in significant progress in building and renovating many medical institutions.126 However, many authorities, and the general public, still recognise that a number of healthcare problems need to be addressed. For instance, the country’s main cause of premature death in adults is heart disease;127 the country also faces a high infant mortality rate.128 Target 3.2 of the third SDG (“ensure healthy lives and promote well-being”) is focused on child mortality, including ending preventable deaths of new-born children by 2030, with all countries aiming to reduce neonatal
mortality to 12 deaths or fewer per 1,000 live births.129 Although the EU-28 infant mortality rate fell from 4.4 per 1,000 live births in 2007 to 3.6 per 1,000 live births in 2017, Azerbaijan was the only European Neighbourhood Policy East country to record an infant mortality rate in 2017 (11.8 per 1,000 live births) that was higher than in 2007 (11.6 per 1,000 live births).130 If Azerbaijan were to prioritise the seizure and confiscation of only 10% (approximately USD 950 million) of the IFFs estimated to be circulating within the country, this could, for example, enable the country to cover the annual salary costs of over 10,000 nurses, according to Ministry of Health estimates regarding how much is spent on nurses per year.131 As well, such recovered assets could be used to cover the cost to build multiple 120-bed hospitals (with standard medical equipment) throughout the country, at an average cost of USD 700 per square meter – each 120-bed hospital costing an average of USD 20 million).132
How Recovered Assets Can Strengthen the Health Care in Azerbaijan Azerbaijan’s average annual losses due to IFFs linked to criminal activity (estimated total USD 9.50 billion)
Annual salary costs of approximately
10 000
90% USD 8.55 billion
nurses 10% USD 950 million
IF ONLY 10% OF IFFs IN THE COUNTRY WERE SUCCESSFULLY RECOVERED, THIS WOULD FUND
or
47 hospitals each with 120-bed capacity and standard medical equipment
28
Illicit Financial Flows and Asset Recovery In The Republic of Azerbaijan
