Many of the proposals made with a view to improving both surveys in general3 and multidimensional measurements of poverty0 would not necessarily incur greater costs and could bring significant benefits for poverty measurement and for public policymaking. The dimension of health, which is conspicuous by its absence from this index, is a salient example. The only indicator which is widely available in surveys is access to health insurance, and that fails to take account of effective use of services or health outcomes.