Contemporary Challenges in Public Health for Promoting Equity and Access to Healthcare Services

Autores/as

  • Neide Moreira de Souza Universidad de Ciencias Empresariales y Sociales Autor
  • Suzana Céu Silva Rodrígues Costa Universidad de Ciencias Empresariales y Sociales Autor
  • Oldair Donizete Galeni Universidad de Ciencias Empresariales y Sociales Autor
  • Raimundo de Oliveira Lucena Universidad de Ciencias Empresariales y Sociales Autor
  • Sérgio Raimundo Ernesto Machado Universidad de Ciencias Empresariales y Sociales Autor
  • Alana Araújo D’El Rei Conrado Universidad de Ciencias Empresariales y Sociales Autor
  • Josina Alves dos Santos Universidade Federal de Uberlândia Autor
  • Samuel Ribeiro Martins Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro Autor
  • Raimundo de Oliveira Lucena Universidad de Ciencias Empresariales y Sociales Autor
  • Helena Vilela da Cunha Musty University Autor

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21838442

Palabras clave:

Access to Health Services, Equity, Health Services Accessibility, Public Health, Universal Health Coverage

Resumen

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.

Referencias

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.

Descargas

Publicado

2026-08-07

Número

Sección

Artigos

Cómo citar

SOUZA, Neide Moreira de et al. Contemporary Challenges in Public Health for Promoting Equity and Access to Healthcare Services. Journal of Social Issues and Health Sciences (JSIHS), [S. l.], v. 3, n. 3, 2026. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21838442. Disponível em: https://ojs.thesiseditora.com.br/index.php/jsihs/article/view/644.. Acesso em: 7 aug. 2026.