The Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on Public Health Expenditures in the Economies of the Former Soviet Union

The financial crisis strongly affected the countries of the former Soviet Union1 (FSU) in 2008-2009. All of the countries experienced either a recession or a considerable slowdown in growth. The crisis also adversely affected government budget revenues, so governments had to adjust their expenditures to the falling revenues. Under such conditions, public expenditures on health were at risk of being cut.
This brief explores whether or not this actually happened and why or why not.