Social infrastructure for health: guidance for social and consumer protection

This report is part of the consumer protection and health services component of the United Nations Development Account COVID-19 related project “Strengthening social protection for pandemic responses: identifying the vulnerable, aiding recovery and building resilience”.
This project gathered the UN Regional Economic Commissions and the UNCTAD to facilitate interregional cooperation and sharing of experiences in addressing the impact of COVID-19 and building resilient societies through social protection. Consumer protection provided a significant contribution to two of the areas of social protection impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic related to strengthening existing capacities and emerging gaps of core institutions responsible for planning, designing and implementing social protection systems. It also contributed to a better understanding of those in need of social protection, including the newly-exposed, leading to a more nuanced understanding of multi-dimensional poverty. Five “core” issues form the core of this report. They include comprehensive protection in health, financing and affordability, ehealth, identity and eligibility, and integration of informal sectors. It does not seek to address clinical matters. The report’s wide scope duly considers the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG3 to ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages.