The Asia-Pacific region has not only the greatest concentration of population but is, arguably, the future economic centre of the world. Epidemiological transition in the region is occurring much faster than it did in the West and many countries face the emerging problem of chronic diseases at the same time as they continue to grapple with communicable diseases. This book explores how disease patterns and health problems in Asia and the Pacific, and collective responses to them, have been shaped over time by cultural, economic, social, demographic, environmental and political factors. With fourteen chapters, each devoted to a country in the region, the authors take a comparative and historical approach to the evolution of public health and preventive medicine, and offer a broader understanding of the links in a globalizing world between health on the one hand and culture, economy, polity and society on the other. Public Health in Asia and the Pacific presents the importance of the non-medical context in the history of human disease, as well as the significance of disease in the larger histories of the region. It will appeal to scholars and policy makers in the fields of public health, the history of medicine, and those with a wider interest in the Asia-Pacific region.

This fifth 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 quality of care across 27 Asia-Pacific countries and territories. It also provides a series of dashboards to compare performance across countries, and a thematic analysis on health inequalities. 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 territories. 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 guide provides resources for the planning and implementation of health systems in Pacific island countries to support improved decision-making and service delivery. With increased internet connectivity, Pacific island countries have more opportunities to connect remote health facilities for greater information exchange. This guide draws on experiences from Pacific island countries that have already invested in digital health and brings together practical tools and resources to support all stages of digital health planning and implementation. It includes extensive contributions from practitioners, government staff, and development partners in the Pacific health sector.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has unleashed unparalleled challenges. At the same time, it offers a window to rethink Asia’s most fundamental development policies and strategies to address inequality, socioeconomic vulnerability, and environmental challenges. This publication gathers blogs and short policy pieces contributed by ADB staff and experts in an attempt to tackle immediate challenges and prepare for what may lie beyond the horizon. It covers a broad range of development challenges and highlights the crucial role of rapid adoption of digital technologies, adequate supply of quality infrastructure, disaster risk management, and strengthening regional cooperation for a resilient and sustainable future by shaping post-pandemic conditions.

Asia and the Pacific have recently recorded high rates of not only economic growth but also overweight and obesity, which are important risk factors for diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and certain types of cancer. Both conditions reduce productivity and thus have a direct impact on economies. Both conditions are also typically chronic and often require lifelong treatment, which burdens households and governments. This book (i) summarizes the knowledge on overweight and obesity in the region; (ii) presents the main determinants of overweight and obesity across countries; (iii) evaluates the economic costs of overweight and obesity, including the negative impact on productivity and higher probability of premature death; and (iv) recommends ways to lower the incidence of overweight based on market and nonmarket-based instruments.

Countries and areas of WHO's South-East Asia and Western Pacific regions share many problems, including inadequate resources for health and a high burden of disease. The differences and similarities that exist among the 37 countries and areas of the WHO Western Pacific Region and the 11 countries of the South-East Asia Region are more meaningful when viewed in the context of the larger Asia Pacific Region. This WHO publication is a response to requests from Member States for an information resource covering the entire Asia Pacific Region and containing up-to-date reports on health trends and health systems. The Asia Pacific Region covers 21% of the world's land area and is home to 53% of the global population. The challenges in many areas of public health, such as equity, human resources, health promotion, health service delivery and the social determinants of health, cannot be adequately described by numbers alone. To tell these stories, this publication provides a narrative of many aspects of the current health situation in the Region, supported by the statistical data. Efforts to achieve better health for all, as well as the successes and the failures encountered, are covered in detail. Where possible, a comparative approach has been taken to underscore differences as well as similarities. This publication is aimed at a wide audience with the belief that national health authorities, policy-makers, scholars, researchers, health workers and others dedicated to the advancement of public health in the Asia Pacific Region will find it to be an invaluable resource, which provides evidence crucial for sound policies and decisions.

The book assesses the policy actions of select Asian governments (China, India, Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand) to address critical health system functions from a policy design perspective. The findings show that all governments in the region have made tremendous strides in focussing their attention on the core issues and, especially, the interactions among them. However, there is still insufficient appreciation of the usefulness of public hospitals and their efficient management. Similarly, some governments have not made sufficient efforts to establish an effective regulatory framework which is especially vital in systems with a large share of private providers and payers. A well-run public hospital system and an effective framework for regulating private providers are essential tools to support the governance, financing, and payment reforms underway in the six health systems studied in this book.