Investing in Health to Build Human Capital and Expand Job Opportunities in East Asia and Pacific

In East Asia and Pacific (EAP), access to health care is crucial for unlocking human potential, expanding job opportunities and creating thriving, resilient communities.

The region faces significant health challenges including a high burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and persistent communicable diseases. Despite progress in maternal and child health, disparities remain and child malnutrition is still a major issue. Geographical barriers and health inequities are affecting vulnerable groups, especially women and children in hard-to-reach communities.

Investments in health systems have helped to improve access to essential health services in many countries across the region. Women and children now routinely benefit from maternal care and life-saving immunizations. Individuals living with NCDs are accessing better-equipped health facilities, where modern technologies allow for more accurate assessments and ongoing care. Meanwhile, health workers are receiving training and boosting their skills to become competitive in the job market.

Backed by the World Bank Group (WBG) and partners, these collective efforts are transforming lives, paving the way for a more prosperous future for millions.

World Bank Group Support

The World Bank supports significant investments in health as a driver of human capital and economic growth. Key initiatives focus on strengthening health systems to expand access to quality services such as nutrition, maternal and child health and NCDs. At the same time, the World Bank generates new knowledge to inform policymakers on key reforms and provides technical assistance for implementation.

The private sector can play a crucial role in complementing public efforts to tackle the escalating challenge of non-communicable diseases in Asia-Pacific. The International Finance Corporation (IFC)-the WBG's private sector arm-works alongside governments to leverage private sector innovation, efficiency, and capital to foster best practices in health care and life sciences, promote the deployment of innovative technologies, and advance quality care.

Initiatives and Impact

With a US$42.2 billion active health portfolio across the region, the World Bank supports EAP countries to address their most pressing health challenges.

A few examples of countries making progress in health include:

• Indonesia has launched a comprehensive health system transformation plan to provide quality care to its 284 million residents across 6,500 islands. The Indonesia Health System Strengthening Project-a US$4 billion effort co-financed by three other major multilateral banks ((ADB, AIIB and IsDB)-is the country's largest health investment, aiming to equip 360,000 public health facilities with life-saving equipment. Additional initiatives include the 2023 UHC Policy Loan that strengthened the health workforce and expanded insurance to 230 million people, and the Investing in Nutrition and Early Years Program, which helped reduce child stunting from 30.8% to 19.8% between 2018 and 2024 by reaching over 1 million women and 5 million children. The Strengthening Tuberculosis Response Program achieved 78% treatment coverage and 84% treatment success in 2024, exceeding targets. Economic analysis projects that every dollar invested in health will yield $2.80 in GDP, with the sector expected to directly create 2 million jobs and indirectly support 3 million more by 2030. Read more on Indonesia's health programs.

• In Cambodia, the Cambodia Nutrition Project supported government reforms to give local authorities more ownership over health and nutrition service delivery in their commune/sangkats and villages. The project funded recruitment and training of 4,459 village health workers-3,255 of them women-and supports delivery of higher quality services across nine provinces. Read story. At the same time, the second phase of the Health Equity and Quality Improvement Project is improving financial protection to vulnerable populations, focusing on quality of care. Watch video.
• In the Philippines, the Multisectoral Nutrition Project focuses on strengthening nutrition services in primary health care and community-based service delivery. It also aims to improve key behaviors and practices known to reduce stunting in targeted areas. The Health System Resilience Project is helping to expand quality services and strengthen health emergency prevention, preparedness, and response across selected provinces. Implemented across 17 provinces, the project is expected to directly benefit about 17.9 million people.
• To help Pacific Island Counties build health system resilience, the Bank launched three projects in Samoa (2020), Kiribati (2022), and Tuvalu (2022) focusing on primary and secondary care, especially for remote or rural populations. Read more.
  • In Papua New Guinea, the Emergency TB Project achieved treatment success rates and loss to follow up rates above global standards while the COVID-19 Project equipped 22 provincial hospitals with medical incinerators. The flagship IMPACT Health project, has contributed to significant improvements in antenatal care and child vaccination coverage. The Child Nutrition and Social Protection Project focuses on reducing child stunting, aiming to cover 180,000 beneficiaries. Analytical work focuses on public financial management and digital systems.
  • Between 2020 and 2024, about 340,000 people in Kiribati, Samoa, and Tuvalu have benefited from improved access to quality health care. In Samoa, the rural district health facilities have reached their target of screening at least 70 percent of the adult population for hypertension and diabetes in 12 of the 34 districts. 97 percent of people screened reported substantially improved knowledge and awareness of NCD risk factors. In Kiribati, 40 percent of the health workforce has participated in new training programs, and transport services for hospitals covering 80 percent of the population have been upgraded. A new hospital is being built, and 35 heath facilities are being renovated across the outer islands. In Tuvalu, the Princess Margaret Hospital-its only hospital-is being upgraded while efforts are underway to improve services in the outer islands and expand outreach to tackle NCDs.
  • In Marshall Islands, the second Early Childhood Development Project is providing direct cash transfers to families with young children along with health, nutrition, and early education support. Watch video.
  • The Pacific Healthy Islands Transformation (PHIT) Project aims to address NCDs across 8 Pacific Island Countries. For example, In Fiji, the project will modernize primary healthcare and support a new, state-of-the-art regional hospital, giving people across the Pacific greater access to treatment for cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other major health conditions. One key focus area is to increase the number of health workers and build their technical capacity through strengthened professional development and accreditation. The project is one of the first two projects approved under the Full Mutual Reliance Framework (FMRF), an innovative cofinancing model with the Asian Development Bank that will boost development impact. Read announcement. | Watch event.

• To help reduce stunting in Lao PDR's vulnerable communities, the World Bank is supporting a multisectoral nutrition convergence approach through five projects-These projects coordinate interventions in health, nutrition, livelihoods, WASH, and early childhood development targeting 1667 villages across 25 districts of the four northern provinces where stunting levels are high. An initial evaluation showed that the package of interventions prevented a sharp rise in stunting rates among children under two during COVID-19 and periods of high inflation affecting food prices.
• In Myanmar, aligned with the WBG's Fragility, Conflict and Violence (FCV) Strategy, the World Bank has been supporting the delivery of essential basic services and livelihood assistance to vulnerable communities. The Myanmar Health Assistance and Nutrition Support Project aims to deliver essential health and nutrition services and assistance, reaching 770,000 vulnerable populations which includes women, children under five and people affected by natural disasters. Read more.
• The World Bank is supporting China's "One Health" approach, which links human, animal, and environmental health to combat emerging infectious diseases, primarily. Support is provided through the Emerging Infectious Diseases Prevention, Preparedness and Response Project which aims to create a large-scale, real-world model for "One Health" governance to reduce disease risks.

A community health worker talking to a mother in a Cambodian village. Photo: Saroeun Bou/World Bank

Mobilizing the Private Sector

In FY25, IFC committed over $385.1 million of long-term funding to the health sector in projects ranging from pharmaceutical to medtech manufacturing and distribution in the region. These investments focus on strengthening local manufacturing, increasing access to quality pharmaceuticals and medical devices, and supporting the growth of affordable, quality, and resilient health systems.

For example, under the Indonesia Health Sector Growth Program, IFC and the Ministry of Health established a program to offer early-stage support to private sector health organizations in the pharmaceutical, vaccine, and medical technology sectors. IFC is also working with the Indonesian government as part of an IBRD-led Indonesia Health Systems Strengthening Project to increase the provision of biomedical equipment to public health facilities at all levels across the country. Watch video: Farid Fezoua, Global Director for Disruptive Technologies, Services, and Funds, discusses the future of healthcare with His Excellency, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Minister of Health of Indonesia, at IFC's 10th Global Private Health Conference.

Health projects in FY25 for Asia-Pacific are expected to deliver strong outcomes, including creating employment in local markets. For instance, over the investment period, EAP FY25 health projects could create 3,000 direct jobs and 330 indirect jobs.

Leveraging Knowledge

The WBG generates new knowledge to inform policymakers on key reforms and provides technical assistance for implementation. For all analytical work related to health in EAP, please visit the World Bank's Knowledge Repository.

Nursing staff at Nadi Hospital, Fiji, provide exceptional patient care. Photo: Peter Parker/World Bank

ThThe World Bank Group academy is a strategic learning platform aiming to empower government officials and private sector leaders to deliver transformative development solution, including in the health sector. For example, it has launched Health Flagship Course in the Pacific that uses an innovative approach to support countries with policy dialogue and build capacity for health system reforms. Around 50 policymakers from Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Tuvalu spent a week exploring common challenges and mapping out solutions. 

Knowledge can also be learned from countries' experiences. For example, Korea's journey in health system reforms offers many useful lessons for others navigating their own health system transformations. Read blog.

Related:

World Bank in East Asia and Pacific

World Bank Health

Health Works

IFC in East Asia and Pacific

IFC's Work in Health