Contemporary Challenges in Public Health for Promoting Equity and Access to Healthcare Services
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21838442Palavras-chave:
Access to Health Services, Equity, Health Services Accessibility, Public Health, Universal Health CoverageResumo
Equity and access to healthcare services represent fundamental principles for contemporary public health systems, particularly in contexts marked by social inequalities, demographic transitions, technological transformations, and increasing complexity of health needs. This academic essay discusses current challenges related to promoting equity and ensuring access to healthcare services from a public health perspective. The discussion examines theoretical foundations of equity, analyzes social, organizational, and structural barriers affecting healthcare accessibility, and explores strategies aimed at strengthening universal and inclusive health systems. The essay argues that achieving equitable healthcare requires more than expanding service availability; it requires addressing social determinants of health, reducing inequalities, improving healthcare organization, strengthening primary healthcare, and ensuring the participation of communities in health decisions. Contemporary public health must therefore develop integrated approaches capable of responding to diverse population needs while preserving principles of universality, justice, and comprehensive care.
Referências
Bambra, C., Riordan, R., Ford, J., & Matthews, F. (2020). The COVID-19 pandemic and health inequalities. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 74(11), 964–968. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2020-214401
Berkman, L. F., & Kawachi, I. (2021). Social epidemiology (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press.
Braveman, P., & Gottlieb, L. (2021). The social determinants of health: It’s time to consider the causes of the causes. Public Health Reports, 136(Suppl 1), 5S–10S.
Brazil. Ministry of Health. (2020). Política Nacional de Promoção da Saúde. Ministério da Saúde.
Fiscella, K., & Sanders, M. R. (2021). Racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare access and outcomes: A social determinants perspective. Annual Review of Public Health, 42, 383–400.
Frenk, J., Gómez-Dantés, O., & Moon, S. (2021). From sovereignty to solidarity: A renewed concept of global health for an era of complex interdependence. The Lancet, 397(10283), 1455–1458.
Kruk, M. E., Gage, A. D., Arsenault, C., Jordan, K., Leslie, H. H., Roder-DeWan, S., Adeyi, O., Barker, P., Daelmans, B., Doubova, S. V., English, M., García-Elorrio, E., Guanais, F., Gureje, O., Hirschhorn, L. R., Jiang, L., Kelley, E., Lemango, E. T., Liljestrand, J., … Pate, M. (2018). High-quality health systems in the Sustainable Development Goals era: Time for a revolution. The Lancet Global Health, 6(11), e1196–e1252. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(18)30386-3
Marmot, M., Allen, J., Bell, R., Bloomer, E., & Goldblatt, P. (2020). Build back fairer: The COVID-19 Marmot review. Institute of Health Equity.
Marmot, M., & Allen, J. (2020). COVID-19: Exposing and amplifying inequalities. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 74(9), 681–682.
Penchansky, R., & Thomas, J. W. (1981). The concept of access: Definition and relationship to consumer satisfaction. Medical Care, 19(2), 127–140.
Rasanathan, K., Evans, T. G., & Nambiar, D. (2022). Primary healthcare and universal health coverage: The foundation for equitable health systems. The Lancet Global Health, 10(5), e641–e642.
Solar, O., & Irwin, A. (2010). A conceptual framework for action on the social determinants of health. World Health Organization.
Starfield, B. (2020). Primary care and health: A cross-national comparison. The Lancet, 355(9211), 1177–1182.
United Nations. (2021). Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. United Nations.
World Health Organization. (2021). Primary health care on the road to universal health coverage: 2019 monitoring report. World Health Organization.
Downloads
Publicado
Edição
Seção
Licença
Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of Social Issues and Health Sciences (JSIHS)
Este trabalho está licenciado sob uma licença Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
