Despite the colossal amount of spending on health and healthcare programmes globally, why do massive inequalities in health remain, both within and between countries? Drawing on in-depth empirical research spanning Asia, Latin America and Africa, this path-breaking collection offers an overview of the legal, political and social factors behind the poor performance of countries in the Global South in enforcing the right to health. In doing so, it argues that governments and NGOs should unite to set a comprehensive agenda for a fight against poverty and for protecting the health of the poor. Bringing together fresh perspectives from critically engaged scholars, Protecting the Health of the Poor makes a compelling case for the need to re-evalu...