La equidad en materia de salud vista con enfoque étnico

In this day and age, public policies that aim to improve equity cannot limit themselves to seeking greater access for all to the job market; the lack of equity is also reflected in unequal access to health services, to education, and to political representation. In order to understand and attempt to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública
Main Author: Cristina Torres
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Spanish
Portuguese
Published: Pan American Health Organization 2001
Subjects:
R
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1590/s1020-49892001000900015
https://doaj.org/article/c38cc1ddb4434fd7a013c437d5e5d34b
Description
Summary:In this day and age, public policies that aim to improve equity cannot limit themselves to seeking greater access for all to the job market; the lack of equity is also reflected in unequal access to health services, to education, and to political representation. In order to understand and attempt to correct this unequal access, an approach is needed that takes into account all the sociodemographic factors that shape inequality in the Region of the Americas, most notably sex, ethnic origin, and race. This paper is the product of a request by the Member States of the Pan American Health Organization for PAHO to make known the influence that race, ethnic origin, and sex have on the state of health and on access to health care services. The paper examines how racial discrimination and other forms of intolerance, the low socioeconomic and educational level of certain ethnic and racial groups, and cultural beliefs exert a decisive influence on individuals' search for health care and their possibilities of enjoying good health. This subject is particularly important this year, when the United Nations is holding its World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance.