Decentralisation in Asian Health Sectors: Friend or Foe?

Decentralising health services – the transfer of power and responsibility from the central to the local level – should help the poor if local resources, accountability and governance are in good shape. The process in China and India had negative effects because local governments remained under-funded and health was not seen as their priority. Contrary to this, decentralisation in Indonesia and the Philippines produced better health outcomes because they reformed healthcare funding. This is key to successful pro-poor decentralisation.