Macroeconomics and Health: An Update - September 2004
Introduction
Since the release of the Report of the Commission on Macroeconomics and Health (CMH) in 2001, several countries have evaluated the recommendations in light of their unique country health and socioeconomic contexts and have embarked on steps to implement policies that would secure health as an essential component of development planning. Countries are approaching the work as a vehicle to assert national health priorities and as another input into reaching the Millennium Development Goals through strategic social sector and economic policy.
A central theme to the follow-up work to the CMH Report as coordinated by WHO is to maintain a country-driven process, with countries assessing their individual situations in order to best develop and implement a long-term Health Investment Plan. Since almost every country has ongoing programmes and mechanisms to reach a variety of health and development goals, the approach taken by each country reflects the programmatic and financial resources (both budgetary and extra-budgetary) at their disposal to integrate development strategies with health priorities. This paper provides a summary of the achievements of countries thus far as they have begun to implement the recommendations of the CMH and describes the early processes and inputs into existing poverty reduction programmes and other national development strategies. This will include a description of country priorities and mechanisms by which pro-poor public policies have been developed, contributing to socioeconomic stability and economic growth.
Report by section
::
Section 1 - Background
::
Section 2 - The work thus far
::
Section 3 - How countries are moving forward
::
Section 4 - Achievements through September 2004
::
Section 5 - Tables
|
