Cash-based interventions for health programmes in refugee settings

Since the early 1990s, social protection programmes have demonstrated that financial incentives can stimulate positive health outcomes in development settings. However, there is little documented evidence of the use of cash-based interventions (CBIs) for health services in the humanitarian context, except to provide access to health-related products (such as insecticide-treated bed nets) or to support nutrition.

The objectives of this review are to explore the following:

• What does the literature say about the use of cash and vouchers to achieve health outcomes?
• What are the lessons learned and how can these be applicable for UNHCR’s public health programmes?

Section one reviews relevant experience from development settings section two presents case studies using CBIs for health in refugee settings, and consolidates these experiences to extract elements of good practice. Finally, section three draws conclusions and makes some careful recommendations for CBI for health programme design and implementation by UNHCR.