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...

Lao PDR has made notable progress in improving maternal health, with materanal mortality decreasing from 1,600 per 100,000 births in 1990 to 220 in 2013.1 However, in order for further gains to be realized, at least two barriers need to be addressed - the low utilization of maternal health (MH)...

As Lao PDR prepares to graduate from Least Developed Country (LDC) status by 2020 to become an upper-middle-income country by 2030, it also expects to face declining funding from external sources and the need to increase domestic financing for health. This report aims to provide a snapshot of...

Ukraine is undergoing important reforms in the health system, and there is an increasing interest among national as well as international actors in improving mental health services. The aim of this assessment is to provide recommendations to inform policy and operational guidance for...

This report reviews the current provider payment arrangements and policies of the Philippines, and the extent to which they have contributed to the achievement of the HFS goals. It focuses on the pillars of the HFS that center on provider payment issues, including what is paid for and by whom...

A strong health financing system will be an important priority as Bangladesh seeks to meet theexpectations of its population and embrace its future as a middle-income country. The objective of this report is to present policymakers with a foundation for an informed discussionabout government...

Health financing in Indonesia is marked by low public health expenditures (PHE), high out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditures and a complex and fragmented intergovernmental fiscal transfer system. Indonesia has a mixed model of public-private provision of health care services. Despite this large...

This paper is part of additional efforts supported by the World Bank Global Tobacco Control Program to inform the Government of Vietnam on options for tobacco taxation by providing estimates of the impact of cigarette price increase across five income groups for the period 2020-2022 under two...

The country brief provides and overview of Tobacco Use, Tobacco Control Legislation, and Taxation in Ecuador. Ecuador has a strong tobacco control policy. A comprehensive tobacco control law was adopted and implemented. In 2017, Ecuador was awarded the World No Tobacco Day Prize of the World...