Lao PDR Health Public Expenditure and Institutional Review 2026

Report Launch: Wednesday, May 13, 2026

Overview

Despite recent reforms, health services in the Lao PDR continue to underperform. Low public spending on health means that service quality is weak and effective coverage limited. Families face financial risks due to high out-of-pocket spending when treatment is needed.

Recent economic and global shocks have further reduced public spending on health and use of health services is declining. At the same time, the country faces a growing burden of noncommunicable diseases, emerging and persistent risk factors such as high Body-Mass-Index and smoking, and an unfinished agenda on reproductive, maternal, and child health, and infectious diseases.

However, recently improved economic prospects have created an opportunity to put health financing back on track and accelerate progress toward Universal Health Coverage. To achieve this, the government will need to raise health spending, reprioritize primary health care, and address public financial management bottlenecks that prevent budgets from translating into timely services.

The Lao PDR Health Public Expenditure and Institutional Review (2026) recommends a coherent, sequenced reform package centered on three mutually reinforcing priorities. First, Laos should mobilize and stabilize more predictable domestic resources for health, including a costed roadmap to raise general government spending on health. Second, the system should get more value for every kip by re-prioritizing primary health care, reforming purchasing and provider payments through the national health insurance system, and actively shaping the public and private mix. Third, the last mile public financial management bottlenecks need addressing, for example by securing more predictable cash releases and faster fund flows to facilities, supported by practical digitization and interoperability.

Speakers

Dr. Bounserth Keoprasith, Vice Minister of Health

A medical doctor with  a Ph.D. in health promotion/international health, Dr. Bounserth spent his early career as a pediatrician and then in planning and public health statistics in Phongsaly province. Moving to  the Ministry of Health, he became Deputy Director General of the Cabinet and Coordinator for Public Health Emergency and Disaster, transitioning to Director General of Planning and Cooperation  and Director General of the Department of Health Personnel.

Mr Khwima Nthara, World Bank Country Manager for the Lao PDR

Khwima Nthara is a Malawian national, with a Ph.D. in economics. Khwima has previously served as World Bank Country Manager for Papua New Guinea, and for Liberia. Before joining the World Bank, he was a lecturer at the University of Malawi and a consultant to the UK and US development agencies and the European Union.

Manav Bhattarai, Senior Health Specialist , World Bank

Manav Bhattarai graduated as a public health professional and is Senior Health Specialist at the World Bank’s Vientiane office. He previously worked on various World Bank projects in his home country of Nepal, including on health sector response to COVID-19.

Toni Joe Lebbos, Health Economist, World Bank

Toni Joe Lebbos is an economist whose experience and research focus on the intersection of health, fragility, climate, and social inclusion. He supports World Bank operations in various regions including East Asia and the Pacific. Prior to joining the World Bank, Toni Joe was a Policy Advisor at the Government of Canada where he provided strategic advice and technical assistance to federal departments to help ensure the inclusion of vulnerable populations in government policy and programs. He is completing his PhD in Public Policy and holds master’s degrees in development economics and in finance.

Dr. Viengsavanh Phanmanivong, Head of Financial Policy Division, Department of Planning and Finance Ministry of Health

Viengsavanh Phanmanivong is a health financing specialist with extensive experience in policy planning and strategic development in the Lao public health sector. She has led and contributed to key national initiatives, including the development of the National Health Accounts report and the formulation and implementation of health tax policy. Viengsavanh has been a prominent advocate for domestic resource mobilization, championing the use of health taxes as a mechanism to strengthen and sustain public health funding. Her work is driven by a commitment to building a health financing system that is sustainable, equitable, and accessible to all people of the Lao PDR.

Mrs. Songkan Bouaphachanh, Director, Central Budget Management Division, Ministry of Finance

Mrs. Songkan has over 14 years of experience in public financial management, specializing in budget planning and implementation for ministries and government agencies to ensure alignment with national priorities and fiscal discipline. With a master’s degree in finance that underpins her strong analytical and strategic expertise, Mrs. Songkan is deeply committed to promoting effective, transparent, and traceable budget allocation, with a clear vision for strengthening rigorous monitoring and inspection to enhance accountability and public trust.

Mr. Ousavanh Thiengthepvongsa, Director General, Socio-Economic Policy Research Institute, Lao Academy of Social and Economic Sciences

Mr. Ousavanh Thiengthepvongsa has previously worked at the National Institute for Economic Research and the Development Strategy Unit of the Central Party. As a Standing Member of the Lao Revolutionary Youth Union, he served as a member of parliament from 2005 to 2010 and as President of the Lao Young Entrepreneurs Association from 2001 to 2005. Mr. Ousavanh has a master's degree in political science.

Dr. Eunkyoung Kim, Acting Coordinator, Health System & Integrated Service Delivery, WHO Lao PDR

A health economist and health financing and policy expert, Eunkyoung Kim manages diverse portfolios in health system development and governance, including health financing, health taxes, tracking health expenditure, and National Health Insurance reform. Holding a PhD and an MPH with a concentration on health economics and policies, her career spans over a decade of high-level technical support in health financing and health system. She has also served as a consultant for the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office and the Asian Development Bank, where she led high-level policy dialogue, provided technical support, facilitated regional workshops, and analyzed financial risk protection across multiple countries.