Social Infrastructure for Health

This report follows the first report produced under the Development Account project on: “Strengthening consumer protection in the provision of health services (including e-health) in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic” (2020) The report explores the scope for both operational and conceptual exchange, examining the potential for applying consumer protection principles to emerging developments such as eHealth and the concomitant concerns such as financial risk, digital exclusion, privacy and inclusion within health and other social protection services. The COVID-19 pandemic provided the spur and the context for this report which looks towards the evolution of post-COVID social protection, while seeking to improve it. Considering the scope of the technical cooperation project (Social Protection), in close cooperation with UN-ESCWA colleagues, UNCTAD focused on the recommendations of the initial report most relevant to build a ‘Social Infrastructure for Health’ (related to comprehensive protection in health; financing & affordability issues; eHealth, including identity & eligibility; and integration of informal sectors), therefore seeking a stronger connection to the core topic of the project.