In the health systems literature one can see discussions about the trade off between the equity achievable by the system and its efficiency. Essentially it is argued that as greater health equity is achieved, so the level of efficiency will diminish. This argument is borrowed from economics literature on market efficiency. In the application of the economic argument to health, however, serious ...

Affirm our commitment to equity in health and recognize that the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition. We recognize that governments have a responsibility for the health of their people and that equity in health is an expression of social ...

Equity was a core value in the Alma Ata declaration on PHC. However, the interpretation of equity varied and its application became difficult. Equity goals and objectives have often been rhetoric rather than practical. Policy reforms since Alma Ata have been dominated by the neo-liberal economic ideology, which does not include equity as its core value. After 25 years, reforms such as the essen...

This article presents research findings into the effectiveness of an innovative equity fund approach to improving access to public sector health services for the poor in Kirivong Operational Health District in Cambodia. The operational health district is the lowest organizational level in the Cambodian health system, providing services through health centres and a single referral hospital. An e...

In India, despite improvements in access to health care, inequalities are related to socioeconomic status, geography, and gender, and are compounded by high out-of-pocket expenditures, with more than three-quarters of the increasing fi nancial burden of health care being met by households. Health-care expenditures exacerbate poverty, with about 39 million additional people falling into poverty ...

Editor – As highlighted by the Bulletin’s special theme of inequalities in health (Vol. 78, No.1), the central challenge of health equity research now lies in translating the evidence into action to redress inequities. In an effort to advance these frontiers, the Catholic University of Chile, supported by the Rockefeller Foundation, convened a meeting of technical experts and practitioners in P...

The Commission on the Social Determinants of Health brought the reduction of avoidable health inequalities between social groups to the centre of the political stage. Its three key recommendations—to improve daily living conditions; to tackle the inequitable distribution of power, money, and resources; and to measure and understand the problem—have been widely welcomed. As the commission itself...

BACKGROUND Despite common recognition of joint responsibility for global health by all countries particularly to ensure justice in global health, current discussions of countries' obligations for global health largely ignore obligations of developing countries. This is especially the case with regards to obligations relating to health financing. Bearing in mind that it is not possible to achiev...