Health: a vital investment for economic development in Eastern Europe and Central Asia

The breakdown of the socialist system in the late 20th century gave some of the countries affected the opportunity to establish the prerequisites for sustainable economic development and improved human welfare. For others, however, the dramatic economic decline resulted in widespread poverty. Despite some improvement since, over 60 million people remain poor and over 150 million are economically vulnerable in the countries of central and eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. This report is the first comprehensive effort to analyse the economic impact of ill health in this region, and much of the evidence it presents about the economic implications of chronic disease - growing rapidly in many low- and middle-income countries - applies equally well elsewhere. Health: a vital investment for economic development in eastern Europe and central Asia explores the interdependence of health and economic development, focusing on the region's significant economic burden of ill health. It also, simultaneously, advocates evidence-based, cost-effective interventions and strategic decisions at the national and international levels as a crucial means of achieving sustained economic growth and poverty reduction.