The budget to be spent on social assistance, which includes LTC, follows a “transference system” and the priorities are set by the federal government, states, and municipalities in an independent way (Brazilian Ministry of Citizenship, n.d.). Decisions are based on strategic/economic/epidemiological figures and on active participation from the population in the decision-making processes (e.g., municipal and state health forums; local management collegiate; national older people’s council). The processes of planning and allocating resources are transparent, decentralized and regularly evaluated by CONASS, which ensures that the data are available for consultation online (Brasil, 2019).

References:

Brasil. (2019). Conselho Nacional de Secretários de Saúde – CONASS. https://www.conass.org.br/

Brazilian Ministry of Citizenship. (n.d.). Módulo II: o Financiamento do SUAS. Retrieved July 17, 2019, from http://aplicacoes.mds.gov.br/sagi/dicivip_datain/ckfinder/userfiles/pdf/aulas_or%C3%A7amento_mds_modulo_II.pdf

The Hong Kong government sets the budget priorities annually. The Chief Executive and Financial Secretary conducts Budget consultations, Appropriation Bill, Estimates of Expenditure, and Reading debates through the Legislative Council to make decisions on how the funding will be spent. The Elderly Commission was established in 1997 to serve as a platform facilitating coordination among bureaux, departments, and organisations to provide advice to the Government (Working Group on Elderly Services Programme Plan, 2017).

References:

Working Group on Elderly Services Programme Plan, Elderly Commission of Government of Hong Kong SAR,. (2017). Elderly Services Programme Plan. Hong Kong: Elderly Commission of Government HKSAR Retrieved from https://www.elderlycommission.gov.hk/en/download/library/ESPP_Final_Report_Eng.pdf.

It is a calculative process between the Ministry of Finance and the ministries to which the budget is allocated to decide on the funding. The budget process guides the respective ministries and departments to prepare revised budget estimates.

As previously explained, we understand that priorities for funding are set autonomously by the local governments and monitored by the central government through the Ministry of Home Affairs and with guidance from other ministries involved.

Ministry of health decides using its own criteria or formula how funding should be distributed while prioritizing allocations towards the achievement of “Big Four Plan (Otieno, 2016).

References:

Otieno, M. (2016). Resource allocation to health sector at the county level and implications for equity, a case study of Baringo county. University of Nairobi. http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/handle/11295/98703

As with any other public administration agency, as mentioned above. Just as DIF and INAPAM define the budget to be annually allocated to the few LTC institutions they have, they define their priorities for funding.

Priorities for funding are set by the Healthy Ageing Strategy (Ministry of Social Development, 2009).

References:

Ministry of Social Development. (2009). Healthy Ageing Strategy. Available from: https://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/publications-resources/corporate/annual-report/2008-09/older-people.html.

National departments set their budget priorities for funding annually, where Provincial departments make decisions on how the budget will be spent in the province to achieve these priorities.