Pandemic ‘amplified health inequality’
Indonesia and India most highly affected countries in Asia-Pacific, OECD report finds
The Covid-19 pandemic has amplified health inequalities between high-, middle- and low-income countries in the region, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
India and Indonesia were the countries most affected, based on estimated excess deaths. In contrast, most countries in Southeast Asia, as well as Pacific Islands countries, have been less adversely affected to date.
Variations in population density, rural-urban composition, the degree of international visitors, as well as demographic characteristics, among others, may explain differences in death rates, said the report, titled “Health at a Glance Asia-Pacific 2022”.
The timing, use and intensity of public health and social measures, in particular restrictions on movement, the speed and effectiveness in which they were implemented, and testing and contact tracing infrastructure further contributed to differences in health outcomes.
All countries across the region conducted vaccination campaigns. As of September 2022, the percentage of the population in Asia-Pacific who had received a booster shot totalled almost 84% in high-income countries, but was slightly below 20% in lower-income countries. This demonstrates there is significant inequity when it comes to vaccine access between high- and low-income countries in the region, the report said.
Essential health services across the region have also been severely disrupted since the onset of the pandemic. A lack of timely access to and continuity of care for conditions such as cancer could lead to a substantial number of additional deaths and years of life lost, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Other key findings include:
■ Life expectancy decreased by one
year in lower-middle and low-income Asia-Pacific countries from 2019 to 2021, while it decreased by 0.4 years in upper-middle-income countries (a group that includes Thailand), and increased slightly in high-income countries during the same period.
■ In 2020, the average neonatal mortality rate among lower-middle and low-income countries in the region was 15.8 deaths per 1,000 live births, which is almost half the rate observed in 2000, but still above the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) target of 12 deaths or less per 1,000 live births.
■ The maternal mortality ratio averaged around 140 deaths per 100,000 live births in lower-middle and lowincome Asia-Pacific countries in 2019, which is still two times higher than the SDG target of less than 70 deaths per 100,000 live births.
■ In lower-middle and low-income countries, almost half of health spending comes from out-of-pocket payments made by households. For each dollar spent on health, more than 70 cents were out-of-pocket in Bangladesh and Myanmar in 2019.
“Health at a Glance Asia-Pacific 2022”, a joint publication of the OECD and the World Health Organization, presents key indicators on health status, determinants of health, healthcare resources and utilisation, health expenditure and financing, and quality of care for 27 Asia-Pacific countries and territories.
To download the full report, visit https://bit.ly/3ES7G0V
‘‘ As of September 2022, 84% of people in high-income countries in Asia-Pacific had received a booster shot, but it was slightly below 20% in lower-income countries. OECD REPORT