Health policy in poor countries : weak links in the chain

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Health policy in poor countries : weak links in the chain, Volume 1

Author:	Filmer, Deon; Hammer, Jeffrey; Pritchett, Lant;	Collection Title:	Policy, Research working paper ; no. WPS 1874
Date Stored:	2001/05/14	Document Date:	1998/01/31
Document Type:	Policy Research Working Paper	Language:	English
Major Sector:	(Historic)Health, Nutrition & Population	Report Number:	WPS1874
Sub Sectors:	Primary Health, Including Reproductive Health, Chi	SubTopics:	Housing & Human Habitats; Health Systems Development & Reform; Health Monitoring & Evaluation; Health Economics & Finance; Public Health Promotion; Early Child and Children's Health; Agricultural Knowledge and Information Systems
Volume No:	1

Summary: The authors show how the recent empirical and theoretical literature on health policy sheds light on the disappointing experience with the implementation of primary health care. They emphasize the evidence on two weak links between government spending on health and improvements in health status. First, the capability of developing country governments to provide effective services varies widely -- so health spending, even on the "right" services, may lead to little actual provision of services. Second, the net impact of government provision of health services depends on the severity of market failures. Evidence suggests these are the least severe for relatively inexpensive curative services, which often absorb the bulk of primary health care budgets. Government policy in health can more usefully focus directly on mitigating market failures in traditional public health activities and, in more developed settings, failures in the markets for risk mitigation. Addressing poverty requires consideration of a much broader set of policies which may -- or may not -- include provision of health services.


Official Documents Official, scanned versions of documents (may include signatures, etc.)
File Type		Description	File Size (mb)

	PDF 68 pages	Official version*	4.76 (approx.)
	Text	Text version**


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File Type		Description	File Size (mb)

	PDF 63 pages	WPS1874	0.19

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