Access to medical technologies: The context

This chapter offers an overview of the main determinants of access related to health systems, intellectual property (IP) and trade policy. Many other very important socio-economic factors determine access to medical technologies – factors such as health financing, the importance of a qualified health care workforce, poverty and cultural issues – and lack of access is rarely due entirely to a single determinant but these are not addressed in this study, as they are not part of the interface between health, IP and trade.