By: Rebecca Theodore
June 13, 2023
While the sustainable development goal 10 of the United Nations 2030 agenda seeks to reduce inequality within and among countries; it is clear, that the deep-rooted social, economic, and political systemic problems that augment health inequalities are still being understated in a new post COVID world.
Whereas studies by the United Nations show, that there is a significant correlation between poverty and health inequality, many Americans continue to believe that the main cause of health inequality are personal failures and the moral depravity of the poor.
Although it has been stated that a healthier equitable community will lead to a higher standard of living for most members of society, growing levels of health inequality are now leading to the realization, that inequality is systemic and entrenched in various socio-economic and political structures.
Hence, the unequal and unjust distribution of health equity remains a major roadblock for economic and social prosperity. Health inequality is now a deterrent to the economic prosperity of citizens in a post COVID world.
According to the United States Census Bureau, over 48 million people are without medical care coverage in the United States. This means that almost one sixth of the population are without health insurance, mostly people belonging to the lower classes of society; thus making social status differences in health care a primary mechanism of health inequality.
In this context, it is privatization that now give individuals the power to procure their own health care through private health insurance companies. Notwithstanding, this is leading to health inequality by only allowing people who have economic resources to access health care. Citizens are seen as customers who have a choice to attain the best health care that money can buy.
Moreover, the means of acquiring health equity are intensified to suit the social class of the rich making it difficult for the lower class to attain them.
Compounded to this, health inequality is the existential threat of our times as the after effects of the Covid 19 pandemic is ending many lives. Even as World Health Organisation reports point to the fact, that more than 10,000 people are dying daily due to lack of access to healthcare, the grotesque inequality in accessing healthcare continues to prove lethal, thus broadening health inequalities in our new post pandemic environment.
Essentially, well-funded and quality universal healthcare should be the legacy of our post pandemic world in order to save lives and better tackle future pandemics. Even though the United Nations all-embracing principle of ‘leave no one behind’ reflects this positioning, and calls for a transformative agenda, it still fails to address them, or to reduce the political influence of elites in the formulation and implementation of health policies.
Despite the fact, that health equity is needed in order to live a healthier and more satisfactory life; inequalities in health are now leading to considerable effects that are burdensome on society. Health inequality is now affecting the distribution of rights and privileges, social power, and access to public good such as education and the judicial system.
Besides, health inequality is now being linked to major political conflicts as the poor find it difficult to meet the health standards, which are often set by the rich.
Post COVID-19 and its reverberations are now impacting the most susceptible and underserved individuals and communities, from limited health care, to increased economic inequality and is now being used as a validation to discriminate and exclude the poor from health services.
Global leaders, and their industry counterparts, must ensure health equity plays a positive role in post pandemic recovery, as mounting health inequality is jeopardizing geopolitical solidity, fuelling social dissatisfaction and is now a major driver of populist nationalism. Rising health inequality is also deteriorating trust in public institutions, dents democratic governance and greatly undermines the public health status.
With these daunting realities in mind, a much greater focus on leveraging opportunities on health equity for marginalized populations are needed. Only then, can the program and strategy responses of the United Nations goal 10 agenda to reduce health inequality globally, be truly sustainable.
Rebecca Theodore is an international journalist and syndicated op-ed columnist based in Washington DC. She writes on the platform of national security, politics, human rights and climate change . Follow her on twitter @ rebethd
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