ravimikulud
Ravimikulud, Estonian for "drug costs," is a term used in health economics to describe expenditures on medicines within a health-care system. They include public sector spending on prescription drugs, private purchases by individuals, and reimbursements paid by insurers or government, as well as related services such as dispensing and administration that are captured in health accounts. Ravimikulud are a component of total health expenditure and are commonly analyzed by per-capita spending, share of total health expenditure, and trends over time.
Measurement: Key indicators are total pharmaceutical expenditure, per-capita pharmaceutical spending, out-of-pocket expenditure on medicines, and the
Determinants: Prices of medicines, the availability of generic alternatives, prescribing patterns, disease burden, aging populations, and
Policy implications: High ravimikulud can affect affordability and access to essential medicines, while underfunding may limit
See also: Pharmaceutical policy, health economics, reimbursement, generic substitution, formulary.