Adequate health spending so as to achieve universal
access to health care is one of the fundamental goals of
any national health system. Access to essential health care
is a basic human right. Health is also a tool for social
inclusion, eradication of poverty and impoverishment, and
the development of human capital. Despite its potential
benefits (reduced mortality and morbidity), investment in
health in a majority of Asia-Pacific countries is below five
per cent of GDP. On the other hand, countries such
as Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand have demonstrated
the positive impact of better and more efficient health
spending. Government spending on health is one of the
lowest in the world in ten countries in this region, where
the share of household out-of-pocket expenditure is also
the highest. Poor overall spending in general, and low
government spending in particular, limits access to health
care in rural and remote areas resulting in uneven progress
towards attainment of good health. Variation in life
expectancy within countries is as high as 30.9 per cent
among low-income countries compared to six per cent
among high-income countries. Low-income countries also
have the highest per capita disease burden and extreme
poverty. Based on evidence from countries within the Asian
and Pacific region, it would appear that benefits of
increased and well targeted government spending accrue
most to underserved populations in the disadvantaged
countries and populations.
This report is an attempt to draw regional attention
towards attaining equity in access to health care with an
overall goal of achieving universal access to health care.
It reviews the available information on inequities in access
to health care in the Asia-Pacific region and looks at
synergies and gaps in policies, strategies, and activities
directed at addressing health care inequities from regional,
subregional, national, and subnational perspectives.