This policy note assesses Croatia's readiness for increased longevity. It focuses on health and social care services for the elderly, identifying critical gaps, or open questions, in the key areas of services, workforce, financing and governance. The aim is to support reforms that strengthen...

Transitioning to a more knowledge- and technology-based economy will be critical if Bulgaria is to achieve convergence with its European peers in terms of economic productivity and living standards. The coming year presents an important opportunity for Bulgaria to improve its support for...

Inefficiency is common in many of the world's water utilities, especially in developing countries. The problem derives from a range of different causes relating primarily to technical, organizational, and commercial (TOC) factors. Evidence from a World Bank study conducted in 2020 shows that...

This policy note summarizes the central health sector trends and challenges in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries of the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA). These countries are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, and Qatar. The note also...

Several studies have identified problems in the DRC health sector, including: low budget allocation, high household expenditure, dependence on external funding, poor use of available resources, low budget execution, governance problems and a decentralization process that remains largely...

The world has waited long enough for high-performing primary health care (PHC). It's time to deliver. Forty years ago, leaders embraced the promise of health for all through PHC. That vision has inspired generations. But for nearly half a century, countries have struggled to walk the talk on...

The Palestinian health system suffers from chronic challenges related to protracted conflict and limited health system inputs, coupled with a high burden of non-communicable diseases (NCD). Over 75 percent of the disease burden is attributable to NCD, particularly cancers, diabetes,...

Over the last two decades, Tanzania has registered improvement in the health status of the population and a reduction in the overall disease burden. However, the burden of communicable diseases and maternal and child health conditions, including nutrition, remains persistently high. These...

This paper presents a rapid private health sector assessment for Karnataka. Karnataka is a middle-tier Indian state with most state-wide health indicators mirroring those for the nation as a whole. In addition to these health statistics, more than half of Karnataka's children suffer from...

There is little current information available on private health facilities in Bihar. Government has little to do with the private sector and no recent attempts have been made to survey the private formal or informal sectors. However, we know that the private sector is the dominant force in...