Roles of Social Protection to Promote Health Service Coverage among Vulnerable People toward Achieving Universal Health Coverage: A Literature Review of International Organizations

Yuta Yokobori; Hiroyuki Kiyohara; Nadila Mulati; Kaung Suu Lwin; Truong Quy Quoc Bao; Myo Nyein Aung; Motoyuki Yuasa; Masami Fujita

doi:10.3390/ijerph20095754

Roles of Social Protection to Promote Health Service Coverage among Vulnerable People toward Achieving Universal Health Coverage: A Literature Review of International Organizations

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 May 8;20(9):5754. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20095754.

Authors

Yuta Yokobori¹, Hiroyuki Kiyohara¹, Nadila Mulati², Kaung Suu Lwin³, Truong Quy Quoc Bao⁴, Myo Nyein Aung², Motoyuki Yuasa², Masami Fujita¹

Affiliations

¹ Bureau of International Health Cooperation, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo 162-8655, Japan.
² Department of Global Health Research, Graduate School of Medicine, Juntendo University, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan.
³ Department of Global Health Policy, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8654, Japan.
⁴ Institute for Community Health Research, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University, Hue 530000, Vietnam.

Abstract

A wider range of social protection services, including social insurance and social assistance, are gaining global attention as a key driver of improved health service coverage and financial protection among vulnerable populations. However, only a few studies have investigated the associations between social protection and universal health coverage (UHC). Therefore, we conducted a literature review on relevant international organizations with respect to this topic. We found that many international organizations consider the wide range of social protection services, including social insurance and social assistance, essential for achieving UHC in 2030. In specific health programs, social protection is considered an important service to promote health service access and financial protection, especially among vulnerable populations. However, discussions about social protection for achieving UHC are not given high priority in the World Health Organization. Currently, the coverage of social protection services is low among vulnerable populations in low- and middle-income countries. To address this issue, we employed the metrics recommended by the migrant integration policy index (MIPEX). Based on our findings, a conceptual framework was developed. We expect this framework to lead synergy between social protection and health systems around the globe, resulting in healthy ageing.

Keywords: UHC; social assistance; social protection; vulnerable population.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Health Promotion*
Health Services Accessibility
Humans
Medical Assistance
Public Policy
Universal Health Insurance*

Grants and funding

This work was also funded by Research Fund of Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) in Japan for data collection, analysis and publication. Funding number is 21BA1002.