Linkages between health and social protection
Health and social protection: meeting the needs of the very poor
Health policy must focus on social protection as well reducing disease burden
Authors:
G. Bloom
Publisher:
Institute for Development Policy and Management, Manchester, 2005
This paper from the DFID Health Systems Resource Centre explores the policy implications of bringing together work on the burden of disease and on social protection.It argues that the analysis of responses to health-related risks must take into account the existence of major structural inequalities and highly segmented health and social protection systems.Better-off people tend to benefit from well-organised systems, while the poor depend on arrangements largely outside the law. This exposes the poor to risks of overpayment for ineffective and dangerous interventions.
The paper goes on to discuss strategies for prevention of health-related risks, mitigation of the impact of illness and coping with the consequences of major illness shocks.It concludes that countries should not base health policy solely on the objective of reducing the burden of disease.They also need to take into account the impact of health-related shocks on livelihoods, particularly of the poor.It is important to ensure that interventions benefit the poor.This will involve a combination of measures to improve the performance of unorganised health systems, to extend coverage of organised health services at an affordable cost and to reduce the financial burden of major illness. [adapted from author]
