Universal health coverage (UHC) is central to ensuring equitable access to health and social care services, yet significant unmet needs remain across regions, particularly among older populations. While global monitoring indicators track progress toward UHC, they...
Greece’s health system has faced mounting strain from ageing populations, chronic diseases, financial pressures, and shocks like COVID-19 and climate change, which have exposed deep structural weaknesses. Although multiple reforms have aimed to improve funding,...
Internal migration in the Netherlands from 1998 to 2018 altered regional healthcare cost disparities by concentrating younger, healthier individuals in prosperous provinces and older, sicker individuals in disadvantaged ones. Using a novel framework that adjusts for...
Hungary’s government and pharmaceutical sector agreed to freeze prices on 44 common medicines at end-2024 levels until June 2026, aiming to curb inflation and protect families and pensioners from unjustified price hikesHungary has entered a voluntary agreement with...
Rapid ageing and rising non-communicable diseases are straining South and Southeast Asia’s underfunded healthcare systems. Countries are boosting funding, adopting digital health, and improving preventive care, but rural access gaps and high costs persist despite...
India is experiencing a demographic shift, with a large youthful workforce and a rapidly growing elderly population projected to reach 193 million by 2030, highlighting the urgent need for a robust and equitable health system. Universal Health Coverage is essential to...
Private equity (PE) firms play a significant role in the financialisation of healthcare systems, yet research has largely overlooked their direct involvement, especially outside the U.S. This study investigates the drivers behind PE investments in Ireland’s long-term...
Singapore’s healthcare system balances government subsidies, individual savings, and insurance to ensure affordability and discourage overuse, rather than offering free healthcare funded entirely by taxpayers. Rising costs prompt ongoing efforts to expand capacity,...
To help deal with its ageing population, Japan offers super bespoke health programmes for individual citizens, which aim to do a better job at predicting and preventing illnesses and make emergency care less necessary.The Health Secretary is taking a bold step forward...
Australia’s long-term care system operates within a tightly regulated, market-based framework that emphasises consumer choice and control. In this country report, published by the WHO Centre for Health Development, authors Sarah Wise, Michael Woods, and Kees van Gool...
Japan's universal health insurance system, established in 1961, ensures equitable access to healthcare for all citizens, particularly as the country grapples with an aging population and rising healthcare costs. Recent policy updates aim to enhance efficiency and...
This policy brief, published by the WHO Centre for Health Development, explores the Republic of Korea’s long-term care (LTC) insurance system and the coordination challenges it faces between health and social services. Authored by Professor Soonman Kwon of Seoul...
Scotland faces a £1bn yearly funding gap as health costs rise with an ageing, unhealthy population, warns fiscal body. Without improved public health, taxes may rise or services face cuts. The Scottish Fiscal Commission (SFC) has issued a stark warning about the...
'The Care Dividend' urges public investment in long-term care, showing its benefits for health, economies, and households as populations age. Published by the Observatory and Cambridge University Press. A book published by the European Observatory on Health Systems...
Published by the World Health Organization’s European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and released by Cambridge University Press, The Care Dividend: Why and How Countries Should Invest in Long-Term Care presents a timely and evidence-based argument for...
