This study investigates whether health spending and access to services in South Africa have become more or less pro-poor over time. We find that over the post-apartheid period health spending has become significantly more pro-poor. In addition to the rising share of the health budget allocated...

The prevalence of child undernutrition in India is among the highest in the world; nearly double that of Sub-Saharan Africa, with dire consequences for morbidity, mortality, productivity and economic growth. Drawing on qualitative studies and quantitative evidence from large household surveys,...

Performance-based financing (PBF) approaches have expanded rapidly in lower-and middle income countries, and especially in Africa. The number of countries has grown from three in 2006 to 32 in 2013. PBF schemes are flourishing and cause considerable demand for technical assistance in executing...

This book describes the nature of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in the health sector in Vietnam. It defines health-related PPPs, describes their key characteristics, and develops a taxonomy of the different types of PPPs that exist in practice, illustrated by international examples. It also...

This book examines how nine different health systems--U.S. Medicare, Australia, Thailand, Kyrgyz Republic, Germany, Estonia, Croatia, China (Beijing) and the Russian Federation--have transitioned to using case-based payments, and especially diagnosis-related groups (DRGs), as part of their...

Excise taxes on tobacco and alcohol products can be an effective instrument for promoting public health through curbing smoking and excessive drinking, while raising significant revenues for development priorities. In 2012, the Philippines successfully passed a landmark tobacco and alcohol tax...

This analysis aims to assess the association between commune health station (CHS) service readiness and health service utilization to inform the design of a World Bank project and policies to strengthen primary health care in Vietnam. Using data drawn from the 2015 Vietnam district and commune...

In December 2012, the government of the Philippines passed the Sin Tax Law (RA 10351) which restructured and raised tobacco and alcohol taxes, while earmarking 85 percent of the incremental revenues for health. Of this 85 percent, 80 percent was intended to be used to provide free health...

In recent years, the Philippines has seen a rapid expansion of health insurance coverage, especially among the poor. In particular, the implementation of the 2012 Sin Tax Law, which increased tobacco and alcohol excise tax and earmarked most of the incremental revenues for PhilHealth premium...

Vietnam is changing rapidly economically, with parallel shifts in epidemiology and demographics. There have also been significant policy shifts in recent years, including in the health sector. The combined effects of these transitions pose some risks to the sustainability of essential public...