PRODUCTIVITY

Nearly all individuals in developing countries are either self-employed or work for a wage. This means if you do not work you do not get paid. Therefore poor health has a significantly negative impact on income.

The biggest problem with this is that poor health is often seen as a poverty trap. An individual gets sick and can’t work-- this means they lose income, which means they can’t afford to seek medical care. This in turn makes them sicker, which causes another reduction in income. The individual can get trapped in this cycle, unable to afford the care necessary to break out.