ArticleArchives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique2023
Health financing challenges in Southeast Asian countries for universal health coverage: a systematic review.
Article in Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
27 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Prenatal Screening for Common Aneuploidy in Southeast Asian Countries: A Systematic Review of Challenges and Opportunities.Prenatal diagnosis · 2026Pooled it
- Understanding pathways from primary health care to universal health coverage outcomes: a realist review.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Facilitators and barriers of lung cancer screening participation: umbrella and systematic review of the global evidence.BMC public health · 2025Pooled it
- Evaluating the impact of self-management interventions on COPD outcomes in low- and middle-income countries in Asia: a systematic review.Health and quality of life outcomes · 2025Pooled it
- Disparities in Breast Reconstruction After Mastectomy in Southeast Asia: A Systematic Review.Journal of surgical oncology · 2025Pooled it
- Willingness to pay for National Health Insurance Services and Associated Factors in Africa and Asia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2024Pooled it
- Universal Health Coverage on $15 per Capita: Somalia's Health Financing Crisis and the Limits of Humanitarian Dependency.Public health challenges · 2026Article
- Equity in health insurance coverage among women with children under two years of age in Laos: a cross-sectional study of sociodemographic disparities and implications for universal health coverage.Journal of health, population, and nutrition · 2026Article
- Systematic review of cardiovascular care delivery across health systems in the Asia-Pacific: a regional roadmap for strengthening cardiovascular care.The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific · 2026Article
- Rural physician deployment programs in five Southeast Asian countries: a policy and narrative review.BMC health services research · 2026Review
- Consensus statement on the application of artificial intelligence in osteoporosis screening and management: perspectives from the Asia-Pacific region.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2026Article
- Challenges and opportunities in financing urban primary healthcare in Iran: pathways to universal health coverage.BMC primary care · 2026Article
- "Poverty is a social issue, not a mathematical problem": examining the lessons for beneficiary identification from implementation of the UHC indigent program in Kenya.International journal for equity in health · 2026Article
- Health financing strategies for achieving Universal Health Coverage in low- and middle-income countries: a narrative review.Frontiers in public health · 2026Review
- The Cost of Inpatient Scabies Treatment in the Philippines: Secondary Data Analysis from the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation Database.Acta medica Philippina · 2026Article
- Setting priorities for healthcare interventions in Indonesia: a comprehensive conceptual framework.International journal for equity in health · 2025Review
- Working in pairs: male-female village health volunteers supporting maternal health and community engagement in remote and ethnic communities of Lao PDR-a qualitative study.Tropical medicine and health · 2025Article
- Achieving Universal Health Coverage in Cambodia: Barriers, Strategies, and Policy Recommendations.Health science reports · 2025Article
- Health insurance coverage among men and women in six countries within the Southeast Asia Region (2015-2022): a multilevel analysis of DemographicThe Lancet regional health. Southeast Asia · 2025Article
- Urgent need to integrate gender-sensitive financing in Southeast Asia's health insurance expansion.The Lancet regional health. Southeast Asia · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundUniversal Health Coverage (UHC) has received much attention and many countries are striving to achieve it. The Southeast Asian region, in particular, comprises many developing countries with limited resources, exacerbating challenges around attaining UHC. This paper aims to specifically explore the health financing challenges these countries face in achieving UHC via a systematic review approach and formulate recommendations that will be useful for policymakers.
methodsThe systematic review followed the guidelines as recommended by PRISMA. The narrative synthesis approach was used for data synthesis, followed by identifying common themes.
resultsThe initial search returned 160 articles, and 32 articles were included after the screening process. The identified challenges in health financing towards achieving UHC in the Southeast Asian region are categorised into six main themes, namely (1) Unsustainability of revenue-raising methods, (2) Fragmented health insurance schemes, (3) Incongruity between insurance benefits and people's needs, (4) Political and legislative indifference, (5) Intractable and rapidly rising healthcare cost, (6) Morally reprehensible behaviours.
conclusionsThe challenges identified are diverse and therefore require a multifaceted approach. Regional collaborative efforts between countries will play an essential role in the progress towards UHC and in narrowing the inequity gap. At the national level, individual countries must work towards sustainable health financing strategies by leveraging innovative digital technologies and constantly adapting to dynamic health trends. REGISTRATION: This study is registered with PROSPERO, under registration number CRD42022336624.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.