Summary

Adequate access to quality health care without hardship and income security is essential to the realization of the human
rights to health and social security. To that end, selected countries in Europe and Central Asia have made important
reforms to extend social health protection coverage during the last decades. However, challenges remain, specifically in
terms of adequacy of benefits provided. Inequalities in access to services and impoverishment due to out-of-pocket health
spending still exist both across and within countries. This compendium explores key features of social health protection
extension strategies in countries of Central and Western Asia (CWA) towards achieving universal health coverage.