Social Protection for the Poor: A Study on Micro-Health Insurance in Bangladesh

Type Working Paper
Title Social Protection for the Poor: A Study on Micro-Health Insurance in Bangladesh
Author(s)
Publication (Day/Month/Year)
URL https://economics.ca//2008/papers/0194.pdf
Abstract
As Households and individuals of developing countries face various risks that plunge them into
poverty and vulnerability the study made an attempt to describe social protection (SP) activities,
particularly to identify all programs related to Micro-health insurance in Bangladesh and to develop
a Social Protection Index (SPI), which summarizes a country's SP activities. Though microinsurance
is relatively a new concept in Bangladesh, it is experiencing a steady growth since its
commencement in 1993. The savings of the poor people not only create fund for investment but also
integrate the poor section with the national economy. Micro-insurance can be a good source of
investment in industrial sector. It can be another model like micro-credit, which has already brought
reputation for Bangladesh. Micro-credit and micro-insurance together can contribute to poverty
reduction drive in rural areas. Due to inadequate outreach of the public services and formal health
insurance provided by the private sector, different Non Government Organizations have initiated
various Micro Health Insurance (MHI) schemes for the poor people of Bangladesh. The aim of the
micro-insurance is to reach the poor, as a tool to fight poverty and to promote equal access to health
services. MHI can be defined as a type of health insurance where accessibility to health services is
ensured to individuals and families through affordable premiums and low prices for health services.

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