Fiscal space for health spending in Southeast Asia

This article examines the availability of fiscal space in the context of health spending and the challenges and constraints in raising additional resources for health given the macroeconomic situations, in the ten countries of the South-East Asia region (SEAR) of the World Health Organization (WHO). Using a variety of secondary data, the analysis indicates that there are differences among the SEAR countries with respect to the various indicators of fiscal space. While the aid situation is under control, there are concerns regarding public debt, fiscal deficit, and revenues. Based on the findings, this article proposes ways forward for each of the countries in the coming years.