Killing inequity: final report of the Commission on social determinants of health
Authors:
J. Holčík
Authors‘ workplace:
Masarykova univerzita v Brně, Lékařská fakulta, Ústav sociálního lékařství a veřejného zdravotnictví
Published in:
Čas. Lék. čes. 2009; 148: 4-9
Category:
Topic
Overview
Social determinants of health have been the focus of a three-year investigation by an eminent group of policy makers, academics, former heads of state, and former ministers of health.
They comprise the World Health Organization’s Commission on the Social Determinants of Health. The Commission presented its Final report: „Closing the gap in a generation – health equity through action on the social determinants of health“, to the WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan on 28 August 2008. The article gives information on the Commission’s results, namely on the Final report and on some recommendations for reducing health inequities: improve daily living conditions, tackle the inequitable distribution of power, money and resources, and measure and understand the problem and assess the impact of action. Commission declared that social injustice is killing people in a large scale and reducing health inequities is an ethical imperative.
Key words:
health policy, health equity, social determinants of health, health differences.
Sources
1. WHO: Closing the gap in a generation: health equity through action on the social determinants of health: final report of the commission on social determinants of health. Geneva: WHO 2008; 246. (http://www.who.int/social_determinants/final_ report/en/index.html) [23. 10. 2008].
2. WHO: Press conference. Palais des Nations, Geneva 2008, 28 August. (whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2007/interim¬_ statement_eng.pdf) [23. 10. 2008].
3. WHO: Achieving health equity: from root causes to fair outcomes: interim statement of the Commission on social determinants of health. Geneva: WHO 2007; 72. (whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2007/interim¬_statement_eng.pdf) [23. 10. 2008].
4. Kolektiv: Sociální lékařství. Praha: Avicenum, 1970; 472.
5. WHO: Action on the social determinants of health: Learning from previous experiences (http://www.who.int/social_ determinants/strategy/en/CSDH_sicialdet_backgrounder.pdf) [23. 10. 2008].
6. McKeown T. The role of medicine. London: Nuffield Provincial Trust 1976; 180.
7. Black D, Morris JN, Smith C, Townsend P. The Black Report. In Townsend P, Davidson N. (eds) Inequalities in health. London: Penguin books Ltd. 1992; 450.
8. WHO: Health 21– health for all in the 21st century. The health for all policy framework for the WHO European Region, European Health for All Series No 6. WHO Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen 1999; 224.
9. WHO: WHO European Ministerial Conference on Health Systems: “Health Systems, Health and Wealth” (http://www.euro.who.int/healthsystems2008) [30. 10. 2008].
10. United Nations: United Nations development programme: Millennium Development Goals (http://www.undp.org/mdg/) [23. 10. 2008].
11. Lee Jong-wook. Official Commission Launch. Santiago, Chile, 18. 3. 2005 (http://www.who.int/dg/lee/speeches/2005/ socialdeterminantsofhealth/en/index.html) [23. 10. 2008].
12. WHO: Commission launch: 18 March 2005 (http://www.who. int/social_determinants/links/events/launch/en/index.html) [23. 10. 2008].
13. Marmot M, Wilkinson G. (eds). Social determinants of health. Second edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press 2006; 366.
14. Marmot M, Wilkinson G. Social determinants of health – Solid Facts. Second edition. Copenhagen: WHO 1998; 31. (www.euro.who.int/document/e81384.pdf) [23. 10. 2008].
15. Holčík J, Koupilová I. Sociální determinanty zdraví. Základní fakta a doporučení pro praxi v kontextu programu Zdravá města. Čas Lék čes 2001; 140: 3–7.
16. http://www.who.int/social_determinants/en/ [23. 10. 2008].
17. Whitehead M. Spravedlnost ve zdraví. Praha: MZ ČR 1994; 49.
Labels
Addictology Allergology and clinical immunology Angiology Audiology Clinical biochemistry Dermatology & STDs Paediatric gastroenterology Paediatric surgery Paediatric cardiology Paediatric neurology Paediatric ENT Paediatric psychiatry Paediatric rheumatology Diabetology Pharmacy Vascular surgery Pain managementArticle was published in
Journal of Czech Physicians
Most read in this issue
- Fatty acids – 1. Occurrence and biological significance
- Osteoporosis: Whom, when and how to treat?
- Coffee, its legend, history, and influence on human health
- Nitric oxide in patients with obesity and metabolic syndrome