Health Equity: 06/10/10

Thursday, June 10, 2010

[EQ] Setting the political agenda to tackle health inequity in Norway

Setting the political agenda to tackle health inequity in Norway

Mali Strand, Chris Brown, Tone P. Torgersen and Øyvind Giæver

2009, iv + 62 pages - ISBN 978 92 890 4186 7
WHO Regional Office for Europe

Available online at: http://bit.ly/bJipxK

“……This report presents the Norwegian experience in implementing strategies to reduce socially determined health inequity and highlights the key lessons learned from this process.

The report describes the introduction of a comprehensive intersectoral policy to tackle the social gradient in health and provides a tool to review progress to date and options for the future. Other countries can use and adapt the critical areas of learning to advance their own national policies, strategies and capacity to reduce socially determined health inequity…..”

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This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues. [DD/ KMC Area]

“Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings
and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American
Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members”.
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[EQ] How can gender equity be addressed through health systems?

How can gender equity be addressed through health systems?

Sarah Payne, School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol, United Kingdom
Joint Policy Brief #12, 2009
World Health Organization, on behalf of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies

Available online as PDF file [45p.] at: http://bit.ly/aPFOor

“………Gender differences in health and in how well health systems and health care services meet the needs of women and men are well known: in Europe, there are variations in terms of life expectancy, the risk of mortality and morbidity, health behaviours and in the use of health care services. There is also increasing research evidence demonstrating the importance of a number of different social determinants of health, and these interact with gender inequalities in ways that can magnify the impact on health.

Additionally, there has also been an increasing recognition that health policy may exacerbate gender inequalities when it fails to address the needs of either men or women, and that health systems must address gender equity. This forms part of good stewardship, as well as meeting the needs of the populations served. Gender equity objectives have also been identified in position statements from WHO, the United Nations and the European Union (EU).

For the purposes of this policy brief, the ‘policy problem’ is the way in which health systems might address gender equity in order to reduce the health gap between men and women and to improve efficiency.

This document identifies some of the main approaches used to address gender equity in health systems, elaborating on three examples in order to suggest how these methods might be developed in the context of health policies across Europe…..”

Contents

Key messages

Executive summary

Policy brief

The policy issue: gender equity in health systems and health care services

Approaches for gender equity

Policy approaches: three examples

Facilitating implementation

Summary

References

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[EQ] Primary health care and the social determinants of health: essential and complementary approaches for reducing inequities in health

Primary health care and the social determinants of health:
essential and complementary approaches for reducing inequities in health

Kumanan Rasanathan1, Eugenio Villar Montesinos1, Don Matheson3, Carissa Etienne2, Tim Evans4

1 Department of Ethics, Equity, Trade and Human Rights, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland

2 Health Systems and Services Cluster, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland

3 Centre for Public Health Research, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand

4 Information, Evidence and Research Cluster, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland

J Epidemiol Community Health doi:10.1136/jech.2009.093914

Website: http://bit.ly/aOiQAT

‘……Increasing focus on health inequities has brought renewed attention to two related policy discourses - primary health care and the social determinants of health.

Both prioritise health equity and also promote a broad view of health, multisectoral action and the participation of empowered communities. Differences arise in the lens each applies to the health sector, with resultant tensions around their mutual ability to reform health systems and address the social determinants.

However, pitting them against each is unproductive. Health services that do not consciously address social determinants exacerbate health inequities. If a revitalised primary health care is to be the key approach to organise society to minimise health inequities, action on social determinants has to be a major constituent strategy.

Success in reducing health inequities will require ensuring that the broad focus of primary health care and the social determinants is kept foremost in policy - instead of the common historical experience of efforts being limited to a part of the health sector. ….”

* * *
This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues. [DD/ KMC Area]





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[EQ] Revitalising primary health care requires an equitable global economic system

Revitalising primary health care requires an equitable global economic system
- now more than ever

David Sanders1, Fran E Baum2, Alexis Benos3, David Legge4

1 School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, South Africa;

2 Flinders University of South Australia, Australia;

3 Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece;

4 La Trobe University, Australia

J Epidemiol Community Health doi:10.1136/jech.2009.095125 – December 2009

Website: http://bit.ly/bgnVY6

“……The promised revitalisation of Primary Health Care (PHC) is happening at a time when the contradictions and unfairness of the global economic system have become clear, suggesting that the current system is unsustainable. In the past two decades one of the most significant impediments to the implementation of comprehensive PHC have been neoliberal economic policies and their imposition globally.

This article interrogates what will be required for Primary Heath Care to flourish. PHC incorporates five key principles:
equitable provision of services, comprehensive care, intersectoral action, community involvement, and appropriate technology.

This article considers intersectoral action and comprehensiveness and their potential to be implemented in the current global environment. It highlights the constraints to intersectoral action through a case study of nutrition in the context of globalisation of the food chain. It also explores the challenges to implementing a comprehensive approach to health that are posed by neo-liberal health sector reforms and donor practices.

The paper concludes that even well-designed health systems based on PHC have little influence over the broader economic forces that shape their operation and their ability to improve health. Reforming these economic forces will require greater regulation of the national and global economic environment to emphasise people’s health rather than private profit, and action to address climate change. We argue that revitalisation of PHC and progress towards health equity are unlikely without strong regulation of the market. The further development and strengthening of social movements for health will be key to successful advocacy action…..”





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