Other strategies and mechanisms for reaching the poor

There is growing interest among policy makers in strategies outside the health sector that can improve the access of the very poor to health services. Traditionally social protection strategies have focused on:

• access to credit
• relief
• strategies for diversifying livelihoods
• targeted transfers of cash and goods.

There is limited evidence to demonstrate how interventions in one sector, for example improved access to credit, impact on health, and even less information on how such strategies benefit the poor. One exception is the recent experience with cash transfers.