The way in which a country finances its health care can have a major bearing on the access to health services enjoyed by its poor. This paper focuses on a specific area of health financing, the allocation of public resources, and the extent to which different approaches enable poor people to access essential services. It attempts to set out how a country might, if it wishes, begin to allocate public resources in ways which promote better access by the poor to essential services. The paper draws on experiences and lessons from a number of countries in which the Department for International Development (DFID)has been working and identifies some of the key problems and issues related to design and implementation. This paper includes three short case studies on Cambodia, South Africa and Uganda.
Bibliography: London, DFID Health Systems Resource Centre, 2002.
