Foreword
Recent years have brought economic turmoil to Europe and its neighborhood, and the attention of policy makers has naturally been drawn, even more than usual, to the ups and downs of their economies. This focus is justified: much will depend on charting a course toward rapid recovery and sustained growth. But when we think about the issues that will matter most to people in the region over a longer horizon, other priorities come into sharper focus. From this viewpoint, there are perhaps few challenges more compelling than those facing health systems across the region. There are at least two reasons to believe that health is a major development challenge facing Europe and Central Asia (ECA) today. First, looking back over several decades, we note that the region’s progress in health—as measured by indicators such as life expectancy—has been among the slowest in the world. Instead of catching up with Western Europe, many countries in the region have been falling behind. Although recent years have seen some improvement, parity is still a long way off. Second, looking forward, we see evidence that better health becomes an increasingly important aspiration among populations as countries grow richer. Aging societies will reinforce this trend. Indeed, a joint EBRD-World Bank survey undertaken across the xiii
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