title: Improving the health of the global poor.
abstract: We analyzed the technical basis for a major global program to reduce disease among the poor. Effective interventions exist against the few diseases which most account for excess mortality among the poor. Achieving high coverage of effective interventions requires a well-functioning health system, as well as overcoming a set of financial and nonfinancial constraints. The annual incremental cost would be between $40 billion and $52 billion by 2015 in 83 low-income and sub-Saharan African countries. Such a program is feasible and would avoid millions of child, maternal, and adult deaths annually in poor countries.
authors.affiliation: World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva 01220, Switzerland. jhap@who.int
authors.forename: Prabhat
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jha
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mills
authors.forename: Kara
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hanson
authors.forename: Lilani
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kumaranayake
authors.forename: Lesong
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Conteh
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kurowski
authors.forename: Son Nam
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Valeria Oliveira
authors.initials: VO
authors.lastname: Cruz
authors.forename: Kent
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ranson
authors.forename: Lara M E
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Vaz
authors.forename: Shengchao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Morton
authors.forename: Jeffrey D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Sachs
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics; D005260:Female; D014943:Global Health; D006076:Government; D017048:Health Care Costs; D005102:Health Expenditures; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs / Q000191:economics; D008507:Medically Underserved Area; D011203:Poverty; D011247:Pregnancy; D011314:Preventive Health Services / Q000191:economics; D011640:Public Policy