Affordable and accessible health care service is a common objective for governments across developed as well as developing nations.
Global trends suggest that generally countries, as they attain prosperity, tend to move towards a Universal Health Care (UHC)/ Social Health Insurance (SHI) regime, in which 100% population is provided with health care coverage (scope varies from country to country). There are some exceptions in the developed world, with the USA being an example.
In the Southeast Asian region, each country is at a different phase/stage regarding the implementation of universal health access. Several of these countries, such as Indonesia, Philippines, and Thailand, have implemented UHC (as a policy). The remaining countries in this region have various types of health insurance schemes to cover certain sections of the population, and are experimenting with some schemes to judge their effectiveness. It is expected that these countries will eventually work towards the common goal of achieving 100% UHC.
The following illustration captures the current health care sector situation (from UHC/SHI perspective) in four Southeast Asian countries (Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam), and highlights few areas that require immediate attention in order to successfully manage universal health access for their citizens.
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Details on country-specific social health insurance design and infrastructure:
- Philippines’ Universal Healthcare – A Promising System Plagued by Inconsistent Quality of Service Delivery
- Cambodia’s Social Health Insurance – In Need of Strong Government Support
- Vietnam’s Social Health Insurance – Strong Foundation, but Lacking in Support Infrastructure
- Indonesia – Public and Private Participation in Universal Healthcare