Résumé

Provides evidence that the poverty implications of ill health are clear. There is a strong case for expanding social protection in sub-Sahara Africa: an ethical reason (social protection is a human right), a social reason (there is a strong demand for unmet effective, affordable and non discriminating systems of social protection) and a technical reason (there is little documented evidence of social health protection on health status, poverty reduction and economic growth). If African social protection systems are to cover effectively more people than is the case today, they will need to take a multiform appearance.