recent report from The Economist Unveil the 10 countries with the highest score for access to healthcare. According to the study, an inclusion indicator is necessary because the curricula focused on expanding access to health care services.
However, even countries that appear to have universal access experience large disparities in outcomes among their populations.
The study notes that those with higher incomes generally have better health and longer life spans, while those with lower incomes are more likely to have morbidity and mortality.
We know that there are wide disparities in health outcomes. Measurement of outcome inequality alone cannot explain why these differences arise and persist. These disparities could, for example, be evidence of inequalities in the provision of health care and social support, broader social determinants of health, or differences in the ability to engage in a health-promoting lifestyle. The Economist.
The report took into account the findings of an “inclusion index” that arose from the recognition that health is a complex construct and that systems alone cannot guarantee good health for all.
The aim is to ensure that policy makers have an indicator of “inputs” rather than “outputs” at their disposal. Inequality of outcomes is not measured, but rather the political differences that led to those disparities in outcomes.
Colombia entered the top ten with the best score in the World Health Inclusion Index. It came in sixth place after Thailand, Canada, South Korea, the United Kingdom and France, and above Australia, Poland, China and the Philippines.
According to the report, good health is based on an ecosystem that includes many sectors. This ecosystem includes quality housing in an environment that promotes health, access to a quality education, opportunities for physical activity, and access to a balanced diet. According to these indicators, Colombia did well.
These factors, among others, are often referred to collectively as social determinants of health. The World Health Organization estimates that between 30% and 55% of health outcomes can be attributed to these determinants.
Remarkable, according to the results, are the recent statements of President Gustavo Petro, who asserted that “Colombia has one of the worst health systems in the world.” Pietro said it was to defend the new proposal in the form that drew heavy criticism against that portfolio’s minister, Carolina Curshaw.
“Some global indicators by which to determine whether or not a system is effective show mortality rates and that our current health system is not working well for those without resources in Colombia. For example, the mortality index for breast cancer, first treatment is 106 days Then, three months later, many women die before the first treatment, and the rate is high in Colombia, not because they get sick more often than in other parts of the world, but not as present as in other parts of the world,” Petro said.
In the face of these statements, doctors have come out to contradict the president and said it is not true that Colombia has “one of the worst” health systems in the world.
“The answer is no. We have reports from international organizations (…) that recognize some of the strengths of the Colombian system. Jairo Humberto Restrepo, coordinator of the Health Economics Group at the University of Antioquia, told SEMANA, after referring to a report by The Economist This makes Colombia among the ten countries with the highest degree of inclusiveness.
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