Coronavirus: Hong Kong, Singapore lead health efficiency index as Asia beats US amid pandemic

Asian territories improve their standing on the Bloomberg Health-Efficiency Index as their aggressive virus responses kept cases and deaths relatively low

Brazil and Russia joined the US in the bottom tier, reflecting relatively low life expectancies along with high Covid-19 mortality

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People walk past the Rain Vortex waterfall at the Jewel Changi airport mall in Singapore. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 8:22pm, 18 Dec 2020Updated: 8:22pm, 18 Dec 2020

As a pandemic ravaged the world, Asian economies led by Hong Kong and Singapore topped a ranking of most-efficient health care systems.

The Bloomberg Health-Efficiency Index, first conducted in 2013, tracks life expectancy and medical spending to determine which health care systems have the best outcomes. This year’s results include the impact of Covid-19 on mortality and gross domestic product in 57 of the world’s largest economies.

These measures helped many Asian territories improve their standing on the list since their generally aggressive coronavirus responses kept cases and deaths relatively low. Brazil and Russia joined the US in the bottom tier, reflecting relatively low life expectancies along with high Covid-19 mortality and weaker economic outlooks.

“Efficient health systems are often in places that have limited natural resources and therefore prioritise policies that rely on people potential,” said Pisonthi Chongtrakul, a professor in the Faculty of Medicine at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.

“Success in combating Covid-19 has come in places that coordinated among government bodies and were willing to let health experts call the shots, which helped create a clarity of public messaging,” he said.

To measure efficiency during the pandemic, two adjustments were made to the original ranking formula: the 2020 table includes the one-year change in GDP based on an October forecast by the International Monetary Fund, as well as the Covid-19 toll on each economy.