Space and Global Health/Equity in Health Care/Types of Health Inequity

Types of Health Inequity edit

While the Constitution of many countries provided the rights to life, liberty, nutritional standards nthey have not explicitly stated health as a fundamental right and because of that access to good quality healthcare was, and continues to be, a privilege, enjoyed by those fulfilling conditions of wealth, location and social status. Different types if Health Inequities are as follows:

-         Structural

-         Economic

-         Gender

-         Race

-         Geographic

-         Education

-         Digital Literacy

-         Data Representation


Structural inequities refer to the systematic disadvantage of one group compared to other groups with whom they coexist that are deeply embedded within the fabric of society. The term encompasses policy, law, governance, and culture and refers to race, ethnicity, gender or individuality, class, sexual orientation, and other domains. These inequities have significant social and economic costs both to individuals and societies. Fundamental root reason for health inequity, is that the unequal allocation of power and resources - including goods, services, and societal attention. The impact of structural inequities follows individuals “from womb to tomb.”[1]

  1. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering; Division, Health and Medicine; Practice, Board on Population Health and Public Health; States, Committee on Community-Based Solutions to Promote Health Equity in the United; Baciu, Alina; Negussie, Yamrot; Geller, Amy; Weinstein, James N. (2017-01-11). The Root Causes of Health Inequity (in en). National Academies Press (US). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK425845/.