Health Inequalities in India – Will Looking through The Social Determinants Lens, Make A Difference?

Abstract

In other words, what good will universal health coverage be, if we cannot change the circumstances in which people are born, grow up, live, work and age (the social determinants) These conditions are, in turn, shaped by political, social, and economic forces resulting in differences in health that are closely linked with social disadvantages, most of which are avoidable /preventable through well designed and implemented policies and programs.¹

These avoidable inequalities within and between societies which determine their risk of illness and the actions taken to prevent them becoming ill or treat illness when it occurs are termed Health inequities.From time immemorial public health has tried to look into differences in numbers (prevalence/incidence) in different socioeconomic positions and revealed that, health and illness follow a social gradient- the lower the socioeconomic position, the worse the health. ¹