What is Health Inequity?

Health inequity refers to unfair and avoidable inequalities in health between different groups of people. These widespread differences result from unjust systems that negatively affect people’s living conditions, access to healthcare, and overall health status. Health inequity occurs locally, nationally, and globally, affecting all countries. The causes are complex and include socio-economic factors.

Health inequity affects people from disadvantaged or historically oppressed groups most severely. However, it affects everyone. This means that certain groups experience worse health and more difficulty accessing healthcare due to the systems influencing their lives.

For example, economic and political systems can influence poverty. People born in high poverty may have reduced access to safe housing, clean water, healthy food, education, and medical care, which impacts health. This creates an avoidable and unfair divide between different groups, and changes in government policy are necessary to overcome this.

So even at the product or service design stage, we must consciously consider how a product or service will address underlying digital exclusion.

Let me know your thoughts on this. What can we be doing to ensure healthcare is equitable?