Abstract
After more than a decade of progress in various areas of social development, since 2015 poverty has increased, labor market indicators have deteriorated, and the reduction of income inequality has stagnated in Latin America. These trends are of concern as they can affect health indicators and exacerbate profound health inequalities. This situation demands integrated policy responses that can create synergies between different sectors. There is growing recognition of the role of social protection in the eradication of poverty and the reduction of inequality. Various social protection mechanisms buffer against the costs of accessing health services directly and indirectly. By expanding coverage and universal access, promotion and prevention actions in health and nutrition, and fundamentally, the fight against poverty, inequality, and exclusion, social protection plays a fundamental role in guaranteeing the right to health and overcoming inequalities in this area. The reduction of inequalities in health should be a priority for all countries, and a way forward in that direction is to promote the construction and strengthening of universal social protection systems.
Key words
Inequality; Health; Social protection; Latin America
Source: A: ECLAC (2017), Situación de las personas afrodescendientes en América Latina y desafíos de políticas para la garantía de sus derechos (9) y B: ECLAC (2017), Linkages between the social and production spheres: Gaps, pillars and challenges
Source: ECLAC, 2019 Social Panorama of Latin America 2018