Health and the assault on poverty in low income countries

Abstract

Absolute poverty in the developing world is partly caused and perpetuated by ill-health. But basic health improvements enable the newborn, who would formerly have perished in infancy or child-hood, to survive, thereby encouraging poor families to have fewer children. They can also benefit the productivity of the poor. Where per capita income is extremely low the diseases afflicting the poor can be prevented, reduced and permanently controlled. “Primary Health Care” (PHC) is not viable without revision of the health services system. Also, some applied research is needed to fashion PHC into a delivery mode suitable for widespread application. An attack on poverty will require increases in development assistance, together with other changes in assistance policy and procedure. The latter changes are crucial as far as health improvement and PHC in particular are concerned.