Toolkit on Social Health Protection
An effective social health protection system provides universal access to needed health care that is affordable, available, of adequate quality and offers financial protection in times of illness, injury and maternity. The ILO supports its constituents in this endeavour, see our service offer and flagship thematic pages. This Toolkit provides a gateway to relevant material on social health protection for practitioners as well as for those who wish to learn about the topic.
ILO standards on social health protection: a rights-based approach towards universal health coverage
Health and social security are human rights and as such should be guaranteed to all persons, leaving no one behind. This rights-based approach is rooted in the body of human rights and ILO standards which represent a global consensus to guide the development of social health protection systems. International standards provide a range of principles that can be employed in the design and implementation of social protection schemes, which satisfy the criteria of availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality. Social health protection is firmly grounded in the international rights framework.
RELATED CONVENTION & RECOMMENDATION
- Medical Care Recommendation, 1944 (R69)
- Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (C102)
- Medical Care and Sickness Benefits Convention, 1969 (C130)
- Medical Care and Sickness Benefits Recommendation, 1969 (R134)
- Maternity Protection Convention, 2000 (C. 183)
- Social Protection Floors Recommendation, 2012 (R. 202)
OTHER RELEVANT RESOURCES
- Social Health Protection: An ILO strategy towards universal access to health care
- ILO Legal drafting guide for social security (forthcoming)
- ILO Centenary Ratification Campaign
- Ratification toolkit
- UH Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health report to the ECOSOC 2019
- Universal Health Coverage and Social Health Protection: Policy relevance to health system financing reforms
Statistical picture: Tracking legal and effective coverage and adequacy
The right to social health protection is not yet a universal reality. Significant progress was achieved in increasing population coverage, with almost two thirds of the global population protected by a scheme. Still, while population coverage increased, less attention was paid to adequacy and equity in some contexts.
Building Social Health Protection systems throughout the world
ILO analyse and compile experiences from countries in Asia and the Pacific, CIS and Latin America in their efforts to build universal Social Health Protection systems that are resilient, effective, inclusive, adequate and sustainable over the long term. It aims to shed light on the role of social health protection as a transformative policy tool contributing to effective access to health care without financial hardship. These reports highlight progress made, challenges encountered and remaining coverage gaps, and explore their root causes.
Boundaries shown do not imply endorsement or acceptance by the ILO. Please click here for more details.
OTHER RELEVANT RESOURCES
- Workspace on Extending social health protection: Accelerating progress towards Universal Health Coverage in Asia and the Pacific
- Poster on Testimonies on role of Social Health Protection from beneficiaries and Health personnel in Asia
- Compendium CIS (forthcoming)
- Compendium LAC (forthcoming)
- Extending social health protection: Accelerating progress towards Universal Health Coverage in Asia and the Pacific (French)
- Integrating Social Health Protection Systems Lessons learned Costa Rica, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Rwanda, and Vietnam
- Integrating Social Health Protection Systems Lessons learned Costa Rica, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Rwanda, and Vietnam (French)
Thematic areas
Videos
Kenya: Maternity cash benefit for women in the informal economy - call to action
Extending social health protection: Accelerating progress towards UHC in Asia and the Pacific
Towards Universal Social Health Protection Voices: Nguyen Thi Ha
Management, administration and actuarial work
Social health protection management and administration
Good governance of the social health protection system aims at ensuring transparent financial management and administration. Sound legal and regulatory frameworks need to foster institutional coherence and quality public services. ILO standards thus also call for regular monitoring of implementation, and periodic evaluation within a comprehensive accountability framework and, where appropriate, for periodic actuarial studies and calculations concerning financial sustainability to be conducted.
OTHER RELEVANT RESOURCES
- Universal Health Insurance paper (forthcoming)
- ISSA Technical Commission on Medical Care and Sickness Insurance
- ILO-ITC course on Social Health Protection (Flyer) (EN)
- ILO-ITC course on Social Health Protection (Flyer) (FR)
- Social Health Protection course: video testimonials
- Cours sur la protection sociale de la santé : témoignages vidéo
- ILO-ITC course on Digital Health (forthcoming)
- The role of mutuals in Social Health Protection WP (forthcoming)
- The role of mutuals and community-based insurance in social health protection systems: International experience on delegated functions (French version)
- The inventory of mutuals in Burkina Faso
COUNTRY CASES
- Accessing Medical Benefits under ESI Scheme (India)
- Étendre la protection sociale en santé à Madagascar
- Scheme assessments and solutions for extending coverage (Cambodia) (forthcoming)
Actuarial modelling for Social Health Protection
Building on decades of policy and analytical work to support countries in the extension of their social protection systems, the ILO has created a set of quantitative tools to support the long-term planning and sustainability of social health protection schemes and programmes. ILO/HEALTH was created to support the development of institutional capacities to produce a strong evidence-based process of policy reform.
OTHER RELEVANT RESOURCES
COUNTRY CASES
- Estudio financiero actuarial del Seguro Social de Salud del Perú (EsSalud)
- Zambia actuarial valuation
- Valuación actuarial del régimen de salud del Instituto Ecuatoriano de Seguridad Social
- Cyprus: Report to the Health Insurance Organization Actuarial valuation of the General Healthcare System as of 31 December 2020, covering the period 2021–2030
- Training: Actuarial capacity training for social security institutions in Asia and the Pacific
CONNECT is a multi-stakeholder network of public institutions and non-for-profit private organizations in the Asia Pacific region working together to support the extension of social health protection coverage at country and regional level. The network seeks to strengthen the capacity of target countries to develop and implement strong, sustainable and comprehensive health policies, strategies and plans towards the achievement of universal health coverage. You can find more information on the network here.
Members: Multilateral organization (ILO), Government and research institutes (Health Strategy and Policy Institute, Institute for Health Policy, Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, Lao Tropical and Public Health Institute, Ministry of Public Health of Thailand, National Institute of Public Health of Cambodia), Academic institutions (ASEAN Institute for Health Development at Mahidol University, Australia National University, Hanoi University of Public Health, Seoul National University Graduate School of Public Health, Thammasat University, University of Health Sciences of Lao PDR), Other organizations (Action to the Community Development Institute, Swiss Red Cross).
RELEVANT RESOURCES
- Equity in Health for All: Advancing Social Health Protection for Persons with Disabilities
- Towards Universal Social Health Protection Voices from Lao PDR, Myanmar and Viet Nam
- Extending Social Health Protection in Thailand: Accelerating progress towards Universal Health Coverage
- Extending Social Health Protection in the Republic of Korea: Accelerating progress towards Universal Health Coverage
- Overview of Master of Primary Health Care Management – Special Tack in Social Health Protection the ASEAN Health Institute for Health Development at Mahidol University
The Providing for Health (P4H) Network gathers 25 members worldwide working on social health protection and health financing. It aims at creating synergies and joint activities, as well as fostering coordination among development partners at national level. Its coordination desk (secretariat) is shared between ILO, WHO and the World Bank. The ILO is engaged in all instances of the network and in 2022-2023, it became co-chair of its Steering Group for a 1-year mandate. You can find more information on the network here.
Members: Multilateral organizations (ILO, WHO, World Bank), Development banks (ADB, AfDB, CEB), Bilateral donors (France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, USA), Partnerships (Global Financing Facility, The Global Fund), Academic institutions (Australian National University, Fudan University School of Public Health, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, Seoul National University Graduate School of Public Health, Universidad de Antioquia), Center for Healthcare Quality Assessment and Control of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.
RELEVANT RESOURCES
- P4H Network presentation
- P4H Blog on Social Protection for Health and Wellbeing
- Joint ILO-WHO Workshop on Epidemics and Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response: How to maximize the health impact of social protection systems? (see the outcome document on emerging principles)
- Health, social protection and climate change: Time for action
- Securing Comprehensive Maternity Protection in Kenya
- Extending Social Health Protection in Mongolia: Accelerating progress towards Universal Health Coverage
Partnerships in the areas of Social Health Protection and Health Financing
The ILO takes an integrated approach with other development partners working on health. In particular, the ILO works in a complementary fashion with the member organizations of the main networks on social health protection and health financing and provides its normative and technical contribution.
ILO service offer in the area of Social Health Protection
The ILO works with line ministries, social health protection institutions, social partners and other stakeholders, requesting technical support.
To see our intervention, please see our flagship thematic page. Please contact to SOCPRO@ilo.org
OTHER RELEVANT RESOURCES
- Flagship Thematic Area: Social Health Protection
-
MOOC on ILO/HEALTH Module 2:
Access to the Chapter 2. Social health protection and access to health care without hardship for all and Chapter 6. Long-term care. - ILOITC course on social health protection