Trade Investment And Cooperation In Health Product And Services In The Asia Pacific Region

Globally, healthcare is a key sector for the overall well-being of a country and its population. By 2030, at least 60 percent of the global population will be living in Asia, and one in four will be over 60 years of age. As the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of the sector, it also accentuated the issue of insufficient and unequal access to essential health products and services all across the globe. In Asia-Pacific, over the last few decades, countries have focussed on improving their healthcare sector and have been trying to achieve the targets set by SDG 3 - Ensure Healthy Lives and Promote Wellbeing for All at All Ages, and SDG 17 - Partnership for the Goals. Yet there are still considerable gaps across the countries, in terms of access to healthcare services and per capita healthcare expenditure. The different levels of development among countries and across sub-regions have resulted in a fragmented marketplace, infrastructure gaps in developing and least developed countries (LDCs), limited government funding, multiple regulatory regimes and standards, limited public-private partnerships and shortages of key healthcare products and personnel - some of these issues can be addressed through trade, cross-border investment and collaborations. [...].

This book reviews progress with regional cooperation and integration in Asia and the Pacific and explores how it can be reshaped to achieve a more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive future. Consisting of papers contributed by renowned scholars and Asian Development Bank staff, the book covers four major areas: public goods, trade and investment, financial cooperation, and regional health cooperation. The book emphasizes how the region can better leverage regional integration to realize its vast potential as well as overcome challenges such as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

This book observes that an in-depth study exclusively focusing on health service trade not only strengthens the overall services trade capacity of the South Asian region, but also promotes global as well as regional trade. There is a dearth of analytical research on estimating barriers to trade in health services, particularly in the context of South Asia, and as such, this book assesses the potential benefits and economic costs of barriers to trade in health services in select South Asian economies. It also analyzes the impact of liberalization and regulatory reforms on economic welfare. It broadly addresses issues relating to trade in health services, the GATS (General Agreement on Trade in Services), such as: Why are the current levels of trade in health services low? How will the GATS legally affect a country’s health policy? What effect might liberalization have on national health systems? And what are the likely benefits of greater trade in health services? It also provides specific answers to the following questions: Does the substantial role of the government in health – as health service provider, financial supporter, regulator and promoter – have implications for the treatment of the sector under the GATS? What is the impact of liberalization of international trade in health services on the quality and availability of health services in developing SAARC countries? Given the importance of consumption abroad for trade in health services, and the gradual opening of health markets through Modes 1 and 3 (cross-border supply and commercial presence), how can problems associated with trade in these Modes be prevented? And are these problems sufficiently addressed by GATS disciplines? Answers to these questions will be of great use to researchers, policy makers as well as practitioners and NGOs of South Asia.

This report explores how regional cooperation and integration (RCI) can be enhanced in Asia and the Pacific to help the region build back resiliently and sustainably from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The report reflects on lessons learned from efforts to tackle the pandemic through regional cooperation and integration. It provides insights on how region-wide solidarity can be enhanced with the support of multilateral development banks in areas such as trade and investment, connectivity infrastructure, people's mobility, regional public goods, and policy cooperation. The report was jointly prepared by the ADB, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Islamic Development Bank, and the World Bank Group.

Infrastructure is essential for development. This report presents a snapshot of the current condition of developing Asia's infrastructure---defined here as transport, power, telecommunications, and water supply and sanitation. It examines how much the region has been investing in infrastructure and what will likely be needed through 2030. Finally, it analyzes the financial and institutional challenges that will shape future infrastructure investment and development.

The services sector is key to economic growth, competitiveness, and poverty alleviation. Comprising more than two-thirds of the world economy, services are now commonly traded across borders, helped by technological progress and the increased mobility of persons. In recent years, a number of developing countries have looked at trade in services as a means to both respond to domestic supply shortages and to diversify and boost exports. Any country can tap into the trade potential of services, but not every country can become a services hub across sectors. The opening of the services sector potentially comes with large benefits, but also fears and costs that should not be overlooked. This book provides useful guidelines for the assessment of a country s trade potential, and a roadmap for successful opening and export promotion in select services sectors. It looks at both the effects of increased imports and exports, and provides concrete examples of developing country approaches that have either succeeded or failed to maximize the benefits and minimize the risks of opening. It focuses on sectors that have been rarely analyzed through the trade lens, and/or have a fast growing trade potential for developing countries. These sectors are: accounting, construction, distribution, engineering, environmental, health, information technology, and legal services. This book is designed for non-trade specialists to understand how trade can help improve access to key services in developing countries, and for trade specialists to understand the specific characteristics of each individual sector. It will be a useful tool for governments to design successful trade opening or promotion strategies, and for the private sector and consumers to advocate sound domestic policy reforms accompanying an offensive trade agenda.

This report, published by the OECD's International Futures Programme in co-operation with the Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre in Australia, aims to stimulate informed debate about the main integration issues facing the Asia-Pacific region in the ...

Governments throughout the Asia-Pacific region recognize the catalyzing role of infrastructure investment for sustainable growth. Yet, they are faced with the problem of financing new infrastructure. This book provides the latest evidence on the impact of infrastructure investment on economic and social indicators. Presenting several country studies, the book explains how infrastructure investment can increase output, taxes, trade, and firm productivity. Based on this evidence, the book proposes innovative modes of infrastructure financing. Written by leading international experts in economic analysis of infrastructure, the book is an invaluable source for policy makers to better design infrastructure projects.