Providing protection against the financial risk of high out-of-pocket health spending is one of the main goals of the Philippines' health strategy. Yet, as this paper shows using eight household surveys, health spending increased by 150 percent (real) from 2000 to 2012, with the sharpest...

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...

Sri Lanka's health system has a long track record of strong performance. This case study describes the main features and achievements of Sri Lanka's high-performing health system, to distill lessons for the rest of the world. UNICO case studies focus on a particular health coverage program. In...

The objectives of this case study are to assess how the poor fared as a result of recent efforts toward universal health coverage in Azerbaijan, and to provide an overview of the government's planned additional reforms, in the context of a difficult economic and fiscal situation.The case study...

At present rates, the global 2030 Universal Health Coverage (UHC) targets under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals will not be met. Urgent action is needed to speed progress in the two dimensions of UHC, health service coverage and financial protection, and to ensure that no one is...

Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank, argues that investing in universal health coverage (UHC) is an investment in the future. He mentioned three: First, UHC confronts poverty head on by protecting people from major disease outbreaks and from catastrophic health expenses; Second, UHC...

Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank Group, remarked that the Isay-Shima summit next May is our opportunity to finally act on the unfulfilled promise of Alma Ata, and move rapidly toward universal health coverage, and to prepare ourselves before the next pandemic hits. Accomplishing these...

The World Bank Group (WBG) Data Council endorsed the 2016-2030 Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Action Plan in December 2015. The CRVS plan aims to achieve universal civil registration (CR) of births, deaths, and other vital events for all individuals by 2030. The WBG has been...

This paper is a comprehensive case study on how the Korean civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) system facilitates achievement of universal health coverage (UHC) in the Republic of Korea. The case study briefly summarizes the resident registration system - the main part of the Korea...