Equity in health in Macedonia: socio-economic and financial aspects and effects of policy changes on the access to prescription medicines in primary healthcare Neda Milevska-Kostova, Marija Gulija, Ivana Tomovska, Kiril Jakimovski Introduction This paper has been prepared as part of the research project funded by Regional Research Promotion Programme (RRPP). It describes in more detail the proposed research study, which aims to explore the equity in health from socio‐economic aspect, through effects of policy changes relating to the regulation of prescription medicines and overall access to prescription medicines for general population and vulnerable/marginalized groups in particular. The paper has been organised into 4 sections. Section 1 details the background and context for justification of the research, by giving an overview of the wider context of transition economies in Central and Southeast Europe, and further explaining the context of healthcare reforms in the Republic of Macedonia. Section 2 provides a literature review divided into the main constituting parts of the research question. The review of literature also attempts to highlight gaps in the body of knowledge to which this work is intended to contribute. Section 3 presents the research aims and objectives, an overview of the intended methodological approach and the study design. Section 4 presents the research findings and conclusions, elaborating them into the context of the policies. The last part of Section 4 presents the recommendations for further improvement of the equity in health for all, in the particular area of research interest, i.e. access to prescription medicines in the Republic of Macedonia. The paper, although focused on the context of one country, has a wider regional application, in the context of transition economies in Central and Southeast Europe and the impact on the healthcare systems.