Health and Social Protection

Social protection for all plays a vital role in moving towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and in Leaving No One Behind (LNOB). It seeks to protect people from social and economic risks throughout their life cycle and, therefore, from poverty and vulnerability, ensuring sustainable livelihoods. Well-designed social protection systems ensure a minimum income and equitable access to essential services. Furthermore, sustainably financed health systems are better able to respond to shocks, such as a health crisis, and are also in a better position to respond to patients’ health needs without exposing them to financial hardship.

Promoting the financial protection of beneficiaries is paramount. In addition, involving additional stakeholders, such as workers' and employers' organisations, in policy design, implementation, and accountability frameworks, is crucial to ensuring and sustaining the buy-in of the main actors in the economy in building national systems.

Video of an SDC-supported project on Health and Social Protection

• Recommended Readings

  • Global Monitoring Report on Financial Protection in Health 2021

    Financial protection is an intrinsic part of universal health coverage (UHC) and, together with service coverage, is one of the health systems’ goals. Financial protection is achieved when: there are no financial barrier to access; and direct payments required to obtain health services (outof- pocket health spending) are not a source of financial hardship.

    PDF5.14 MB1 January 2021

  • Health For Everyone? Social Inequalities in Health And Health Systems

    This publication analyses inequalities in health and health systems and thus provides a key insight for the discussion of how societies can become more inclusive. It looks into socio-economic differences in the exposure to risk factors to health, health status, the utilisation of health services, unmet health care needs and coverage.

    PDF7.19 MB1 January 2019

  • Making the Link: Improving Health and Health Equity through Strong Social Protection Systems

    Social protection systems are systems, which help people meet needs in life and protect against risks. Those needs and risks can be associated with parental and caring responsibilities, sickness, healthcare, disability, old age, housing, unemployment, and social exclusion.

    PDF3.07 MB1 October 2020

  • Snapshot of gender equality across the Sustainable Development Goals

    Between 2000 and 2020, maternal mortality declined by one third globally, from 339 to 223 deaths per 100,000 live births, but progress has stalled since 2015. Find gender aggregated health data on page 10.

    PDF1.71 MB1 January 2023

  • Tracking Universal Health Coverage 2021: Global Monitoring Report

    Since 2000, service coverage has increased as average income has grown, but at an undue cost to many people. Trajectories on the path to UHC, as tracked by related SDG indicators on service coverage and financial hardship, vary substantially across WHO regions and countries. Country-level analysis of coverage policy is needed to identify gaps in health coverage, understand their causes and develop appropriate policy responses.

    PDF11.19 MB1 January 2021