Sustainability and Resilience in Asia-Pacific Health Systems
The world is emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic with a renewed focus on health. The tragic loss of life and immeasurable impact on human health worldwide will take many years to be fully understood, but it is clear that many health systems were stretched to a breaking point; reforms will be needed if we are to be better prepared for future shocks. The Asia-Pacific region, bearing the initial brunt of the pandemic, remains vulnerable to ongoing challenges but offers valuable solutions and lessons for the global community.
Painting a comprehensive picture of an entire geographical region is always precarious with no two countries ever experiencing the exact same set of conditions. The vast expanse of the Asia Pacific, as classified by the World Bank under East Asia and Pacific, introduces inherent variations, especially in economic development; the region has some of the highest income economies in the world (e.g., Japan, South Korea) and others that fall into the lowest quartile (e.g., Cambodia, Solomon Islands). This economic disparity will naturally result in significant variation in the health systems of each territory.
However, in characterizing the common problems and solutions, the connections both within and beyond the region become increasingly evident. For example, healthcare workforce shortages are partly driven by “brain drain” between countries and regions, and digital health solutions have the potential to alleviate these shortages. Moreover, amid shared challenges, the distinctive responses from both the region as a whole and individual countries provide valuable learning opportunities for the global community, highlighting the need for pan-regional collaboration to build more sustainable and resilient health systems.
The Partnership for Health System Sustainability and Resilience (PHSSR) has conducted an in-depth examination of health systems in the region, resulting in published country-level reports on Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, the Pacific Islands (with specific attention to the Republic of Marshall Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu), Taiwan, and Vietnam. The selection of these areas is purposeful, strategically capturing a spectrum of economic classifications, including examples of high, upper-middle and lower-middle income economies. Furthermore, the chosen areas exhibit diverse geographical characteristics that influence climate-related issues, underscoring the need for adaptable and resilient health systems.
The Center for Asia-Pacific Resilience and Innovation (CAPRI), serving as the PHSSR’s Asia-Pacific research hub and having spearheaded four of the six aforementioned country-level reports, has prepared the Asia-Pacific Summary Report. This report coauthored by Syaru Shirley Lin and Alistair Lang considers the common issues affecting health systems in the region, and is divided into four main sections accordingly:
Aging societies – Low birth rates and high life expectancies are increasing the age of populations in several Asia-Pacific countries, straining conventional healthcare systems.
Climate change – Environmental changes exacerbate health risks and threaten infrastructure, especially in island states.
Digital health – Technological advancements are reshaping care delivery, offering both opportunities and challenges in access and equity.
Healthcare workforce – Challenging working conditions and limited opportunities drive healthcare workers out of the sector and abroad, threatening care delivery.
In each section, this report demonstrates the impact of these issues on the region and highlights measures taken to overcome them, citing findings from PHSSR country-level reports, unless otherwise indicated.
Read more about the Partnership for Health System Sustainability and Resilience (PHSSR)