Innovando en salud pública: monitorización de los determinantes sociales de la salud y reducción de las desigualdades en salud: Una prioridad para la presidencia española de la Unión Europea en 2010

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Abstract

Actualmente uno de los principales retos para las sociedades, tanto desarrolladas como en vías de desarrollo, es disminuir las desigualdades en salud para conseguir una equidad efectiva. El Ministerio de Sanidad y Política Social, consciente de esta realidad y conocedor de la importancia que las desigualdades en salud tienen en el desarrollo económico y social de un país, ha establecido como prioridad para la Presidencia española de la Unión Europea del primer semestre de 2010 la “Innovación en Salud Pública: monitorización de los determinantes sociales de la salud y reducción de las desigualdades en salud”. Además, para esta legislatura también se ha marcado la reducción de las desigualdades como una prioridad y se está trabajando en el desarrollo de una estrategia nacional. Al elegir esta prioridad para la Presidencia se pretende, por tanto, dar un nuevo impulso a la equidad en salud en la agenda política, tanto nacional como europea, en un momento en el que contamos con un nuevo escenario mundial más consciente del coste social y económico de la desigualdad, y de sus repercusiones en el bienestar y desarrollo de los países.

Translated abstract

Tackling health inequalities to achieve health equity is currently one of the main challenges for developed and developing countries. Aware of this reality, and knowing how relevant for economic and social growth the inequalities in health are, the Spanish Ministry of Health and Social Policy has established "Innovation in Public Health: monitoring social determinants of health and reduction of health inequalities" as one of the priorities for the Spanish presidency of the European Union in the first semester of 2010. Furthermore, a national strategy to tackle health inequalities is being developed in the current political term. By choosing this priority, the Spanish Ministry of Health an Social Policy aims to contribute to move forward a coherent and effective agenda at both European and national level, in a new world stage more aware of the social and economic expenditure of inequity in health and its repercussions on countries welfare and development.

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The concepts and principles of equity and health.

M. WHITEHEAD (1992)

In 1984, the 32 member states of the World Health Organization European Region took a remarkable step forward in agreeing unanimously on 38 targets for a common health policy for the Region. Not only was equity the subject of the first of these targets, but it was also seen as a fundamental theme running right through the policy as a whole. However, equity can mean different things to different people. This article looks at the concepts and principles of equity as understood in the context of the World Health Organization's Health for All policy. After considering the possible causes of the differences in health observed in populations--some of them inevitable and some unnecessary and unfair--the author discusses equity in relation to health care, concentrating on issues of access to care, utilization, and quality. Lastly, seven principles for action are outlined, stemming from these concepts, to be borne in mind when designing or implementing policies, so that greater equity in health and health care can be promoted.