Growing exposure to risk factors in combination with low levels of access to preventive care are increasing unmet health needs. LAC has been experiencing a "nutrition transition" towards less healthy diets. Thirty to sixty percent of the region's population does not achieve the minimum...

While universal health coverage (UHC) offers a powerful goal for a nation, all countries-irrespective of income are struggling with achieving or sustaining UHC. France is a high-income country where HC is in effect universal. Health-related costs are covered by a mix of mandatory social health...

Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality in India, accounting for 17 percent of all cancer deaths among women age 30 to 69 years. At current incidence rates, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the annual burden of new cases in India will increase to nearly 225,000...

This primer aims to provide IMF macroeconomists with the essential information they need to address issues concerning health sector policy, particularly when they have significant macroeconomic implications. Such issues can also affect equity and growth and are fundamental to any strategy of...

A crescente exposição a fatores de risco em combinação com os baixos níveis de acesso aos cuidados preventivos está aumentando as necessidades de saúde não satisfeitas. A região da ALC vem experimentando uma "transição nutricional" com relação às dietas menos saudáveis. De 30% a...

This role of faith-inspired health care providers in sub-saharan Africa and public-private partnerships is comprised of a three volume series on strengthening the evidence for faith inspired engagement in health in sub-Saharan Africa. An increasing level of interest in the role of faith in...

This study presents two case studies, each on a current initiative of contracting for primary health services in Brazil, one for the state of Bahia, the other for the city of Rio de Janeiro. The two initiatives are not linked and their implementation has independently sprung from a search for...

This study combines detailed datasets on 39.1 million hospital discharges in six countries in Latin America and the Caribbean with summary statistics for the remaining countries in the region in order to estimate the number and economic effect of avoidable hospitalizations for ambulatory care...

Indonesia launched Jampersal in 2011, a nationwide program to accelerate the reduction of maternal and newborn deaths. The program was financed by central government revenues and provided free and comprehensive maternal and neonatal care with an emphasis on promoting institutional deliveries....