Health at a Glance: Asia/Pacific 2016
Measuring Progress towards Universal Health Coverage
This fourth edition of Health at a Glance Asia/Pacific presents a set of key indicators of health status, the determinants of health, health care resources and utilisation, health care expenditure and financing and health care quality across 27 Asia-Pacific countries and economies. Drawing on a wide range of data sources, it builds on the format used in previous editions of Health at a Glance, and gives readers a better understanding of the factors that affect the health of populations and the performance of health systems in these countries and economies.
Each of the indicators is presented in a user-friendly format, consisting of charts illustrating variations across countries and over time, brief descriptive analyses highlighting the major findings conveyed by the data, and a methodological box on the definition of the indicator and any limitations in data comparability. An annex provides additional information on the demographic context in which health systems operate.
This edition is a joint OECD, WHO/WPRO and WHO/SEARO publication.
Also available in: Korean
Pharmaceutical expenditure
Despite the commitment to a national medicines policy in many countries in the Asia-Pacific region, progress on the implementation of these policies has been slow (Asia-Pacific Conference on national medicine policies, 2012). For millions of people in those countries, problems of access to essential medicines remain. Medicines are often not available or affordable and they may be low quality products which may also be inappropriately used in practice. Consumer out-of-pocket expenses on medicines account for a substantial proportion of total health care expenditures, and for many people on lower incomes, these out-of-pocket expenses push them below the poverty line with major consequences.
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