Assessment of Health Financing Options : Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea s (PNG) health system is characterized by low health inputs per capita, low health service contact rates and significant inequities in health care use. Health spending relative to GNI per capital and as a revenue share of GDP is lo...
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| Format: | Other Health Study |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
Washington, DC
2015
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2014/08/20428818/papua-new-guinea-assessment-health-financing-options http://hdl.handle.net/10986/21118 |
| Summary: | Papua New Guinea s (PNG) health system
is characterized by low health inputs per capita, low health
service contact rates and significant inequities in health
care use. Health spending relative to GNI per capital and as
a revenue share of GDP is low. Government spending as a
share of total health expenditure is, however, high and the
financing system is dependent on a number of complex
interactions between a number of agencies, both at the
national and subnational level. Anecdotal evidence suggests
that out-of-pocket (OOP) spending is minimal. The current
system of health financing has not delivered improved health
outcomes; in fact health outcomes in PNG have been stagnant
in recent decades. PNG is not on track to meet any of the
health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Significant investment in the heath sector is needed to
address the decline, meet current demographic trends and
address inefficiencies and inequities. These additional
resource requirements will have to be met while maintaining
the high levels of financial risk protection and relatively
equitable access to health care. The additional resource
requirements will have to be financed in a sustainable
manner. This report examines three broad health financing
options in PNG: (i) increasing the level of general revenue
spending; (ii) introducing contributory, insurance-based
health financing arrangements; and (iii) mobilizing
additional resources through efficiency savings in the
sector. The three options are not mutually exclusive. |
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