Summary (English)

In just a decade, Lao PDR has made impressive progress towards universal health coverage (UHC). From 10.8 per cent in 2008, effective social health protection coverage increased to 93.6 per cent of the population in 2019 and remained at that level since then. However, out-of-pocket (OOP) payments remain high and effective access to quality health services remains a challenge for a significant share of the population. Lao PDRʼs efforts towards universal social health protection contribute to the first guarantee of the Social Protection Floor which is to provide access to a nationally defined set of goods and services, constituting essential health care, including maternity care, that meets the criteria of availability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality.