Abstract
This review considers contemporary approaches to social justice in healthcare, which revolve around two main discourses: the idea of individual responsi-bility and idea of equality. Questions on the interrelation between individual responsibility and social factors are fundamental for contemporary social theories of justice in healthcare. Equality can be understood as economic in nature, as about opportunities, as well as the equality of freedoms. This review analyses the antagonism between approaches of social determinants of health and health as an individual responsibility. Providing medical services depend-ing on personal responsibility for her/his health can increase risks for those who already in negative conditions. The social determinants of health include everyday life conditions, the possibilities for satisfying material needs, the environment and also social, economic and political norms. They are formed by policy, distribution of finance, power and other resources in global, na-tional and local levels, all of which form the main factors of injustice. If social justice is understood in terms of capacities (in the case of health care, we can see it as capacities to offer equal rights in healthcare provision), then healthcare is an imperative equal to social justice. The provision of social justice in health is considered a significant social, economic, ethical and political issue. Therefore, it can be addressed only from an interdisciplinary approach. Recognition of the social factors behind healthcare and necessity of overcoming unfair gaps in health at the international level makes the research of social justice in health and personal responsibility vital.
Translated title of the contribution | HEALTH EQUALITY AND JUSTICE: SEARCHING FOR ANALYTICAL TOOLS IN EVALUATING HEALTHCARE |
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Original language | Russian |
Pages (from-to) | 651-659 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Journal of Social Policy Studies |
Volume | 15 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 23 Dec 2017 |
Keywords
- social justice
- Health
- social determinants
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Health(social science)