Abstract

FONSECA, Ana Maria Medeiros da  and  VIANA, Ana Luiza d'Ávila. Healthcare rights and conditional cash transfers in Latin America. Ciênc. saúde coletiva [online]. 2007, vol.12, n.6, pp. 1505-1512. ISSN 1413-8123.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1413-81232007000600012.

Conditional cash transfer programs in Latin America impose specific requirements and responsibilities on beneficiary households, in order to upgrade education levels, improve drop-out rates and eliminate child labor, while enhancing health and nutrition indicators. Although counterpart healthcare conditions are common to all these programs, government strategies differ in terms of reaching their goals, at times even undermining improvements in the living conditions of more vulnerable segments of the population. Instead of upholding rights to healthcare, such initiatives may well trigger a new cycle of tightly-focused basic care through provisional programs.

Keywords : Conditional cash transfer programs; Right to healthcare.