Southern African Development Community Health Policy: Under Construction

This Policy Brief makes 5 proposals for policy innovations for the Southern African Development Community (SADC)

Abstract

Regional health policy in Southern Africa is still under construction. The SADC Protocol on Health, signed in 1999, lays the cornerstone for health development in the region. A pressing issue in the SADC region is a lack of coordinated access to healthcare and support from civil society and the Global South. The SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Plan (RISDP) lays the ground work for change within SADC. However, certain issues are not addressed in the RISDP and by SADC more generally. With the revision of the RISDP, this is an opportune time to present innovations for SADC’s consideration. This Policy Brief makes 5 proposals for policy innovations for SADC. Individual member states may propose any one of these innovations to other SADC Member States to initiate policy development.

This work is part of ‘Poverty reduction and regional integration: a comparative analysis of SADC and UNASUR health policies’ project supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the UK Department for International Development.

Citation

Erica Penfold (2015) Southern African Development Community Health Policy: Under Construction, PRARI Policy Brief No 7, The Open University, Milton Keynes.

Southern African Development Community Health Policy: Under Construction

Published 31 December 2015