Transcript Economic & Social Determinants Philippa Howden

Michael Chen-Xu
New Zealand Medical Students’ Association
www.nzmsa.org.nz
[email protected]
We are NZ’s future health professionals
• Increasing costs of healthcare
•
Ageing population, new technology, obesity
• Significant inequalities in social determinants of
health
• Health inequities – ethnic, SES, children
•
Double burden of infectious and chronic diseases
• Climate change
•
1
“The biggest global health threat of the 21st
century…”1
Costello et al. Managing the health effects of climate change.
Lancet. 2009;373:1693-733
Vision
A paradigm shift:
Encouraging health, rather than simply treating
disease
Means:
• Addressing social determinants of health
• Abandoning the patriarchal paradigm
• Becoming advocates for change
WHO definition of Health
Health is a state of complete physical, mental,
and social well-being and not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity2
2
World Health Organization. 1946. WHO definition of Health, Preamble to the
Constitution of the World Health Organization as adopted by the International Health
Conference, New York, 19–22 June 1946; signed on 22 July 1946 by the representatives
of 61 States and entered into force on 7 April 1948.
How to get there?
• Challenge of communicating this vision
• Enhancing social cohesion
Integration of addressing social determinants of
health as doctors, particularly in primary care
• Alma Ata Declaration
• Ottawa Charter
How to get there?
Source: Rasanthan et al. Primary healthcare and the social determinants
of health: essential and complementary approaches for reducing
inequities in health. J Epidemiol Community Health 2011
Health Professionals for a New Century
• Empowerment of young professionals
– Tangible research opportunities in the community;
making that difference quantifiable
– Supporting student/young person advocacy:
IFMSA projects, P3 foundation, NZMSA
• Developing social accountability in education3
– Integrating clinical presentations with public
health, equity vs. equality, cultural competency
3Wen
LS et al. Social accountability in health professionals’ training.
Lancet. 2011
A “call to action”