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Post‐conflict health reconstruction: search for a policy
Author(s) -
Rubenstein Leonard S.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
disasters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.744
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1467-7717
pISSN - 0361-3666
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-7717.2011.01237.x
Subject(s) - accountability , public health , legitimacy , health policy , global health , equity (law) , human rights , political science , social determinants of health , health equity , public relations , public economics , medicine , economics , politics , law , nursing
Despite increasing experience in health reconstruction in societies emerging from conflict, the policy basis for investing in the development of equitable and effective health systems in the wake of war remains unsettled. 1 Consideration of post‐conflict health reconstruction is almost entirely absent in donor policies on global health. Practically by default, health programmes are seen increasingly as an element of stabilisation and security interventions in the aftermath of armed conflict. That perspective, however, lacks an evidence base and can skew health programmes towards short‐term security and stabilisation goals that have a marginal impact and violate the principles of equity, non‐discrimination, and quality, which are central to sound health systems and public acceptance of them. A better approach is to ground policy in legitimacy, viewing health both as a core social institution and one that, if developed according to human rights principles, including equity, non‐discrimination, participation and accountability, can advance the effectiveness and the quality of governance in the emerging state.