Health Financing Policy in the South Caucasus:Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan

摘要

After gaining independence, the crises in the healthcare systems of Sauth Caucasian countries: Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, reqiured fundamental reformation of the sector. Over the past 25 years all three countries of the South Caucasus passed through specific ways to healthcare system reformation. The main objective of the reforms was to restore the order in the field functioning in an unorganized manner, to establish qualitatively new relationships in the system, corresponding to the requirements of the country's political and economic development. In this respect, a comparative analysis of healthcare system financing in all three countries is very interesting. Despite increased government spending on healthcare in the countries of the South Caucasus, the share of government spending on health care is significantly lower not only compared to the margin recommended by WHO, but compared to the indicators of many low-income, poor countries. Therefore, the population has to bear substantial costs of medical services itself. It is reasonable to make healthcare a budgetary policy priority in the South Caucasus and to ensure that WHO recommendations on minimum margin of state healthcare financing are taken into consideration.