Mitigating the Impact of the Economic Crisis on Public Sector Health Spending (Sept 2009)

The current global financial crisis is having a substantial impact in Europe and Central Asia (ECA) where economic growth is beginning to dip, unemployment is rising and government revenues are being cut. [More]

Competition in Health Insurance (Sept 2009)

There has been much discussion about whether countries should offer the basic health benefit package through a single insurer or multiple health insurers. [More]

World Bank Health Sector Assists Crisis-Hit Eastern Europe Countries (Sept 2009)

To mitigate the impact of the economic crisis on government budgets, sector spending and household income, the World Bank is providing fiscal support to a number of Eastern European countries. In the health sector, these loan programs include technical assistance and policy dialogue for reforms. [More]

Mitigating the Impact of the Global Economic Crisis on Household Health Spending (Sept 2009)

The ongoing financial and economic crisis is having a direct impact on the ability of households to pay for health care, a situation that will likely be exacerbated as real government spending on health care declines in many countries due to reduced revenues from the general government budget and payroll-funded health insurance. [More]

Launching of report on the Economics of Tobacco Control in Russia

The launching of the Bloomberg/Gates Foundations report on the Economics of Tobacco Control in the Russian Federation was held on April 21, 2009, at the World Bank Office in Moscow.   [More] 

Confronting "Death on Wheels": Making Roads Safe in Europe and Central Asia

"Death on wheels" evokes a bleak image, but an appropriate one for countries in the World Bank’s Europe and Central Asia (ECA) Region. A combination of weak road safety management capacity, deteriorated roads, unsafe vehicles, poor driver behavior, and patchy enforcement of road safety laws, alongside exponential growth in the number of vehicles, have contributed to road traffic injuries and fatalities multiplying at a rapid pace. [More]