Pre-COVID-19 pandemic health inequities within and between countries, regions and communities was as much as 18 years….now it’s likely to be much more – COVID-19 is reinforcing that social injustice is killing on a grand scale.
Health inequities are majorly impacted by our social circumstances (where we are born, grow, live, work and age: the social determinants of health, SDH), for example, in COVID-19 – cases and deaths in deprived areas are double those of more advantaged
areas.
WHO’s Special Initiative for Action on Social Determinants of Health for advancing Equity is the first of its kind to rally global, regional, national and local actors to come together around a common approach to dealing with the social determinants
of health to advance health equity.
Public health leaders at the launch of this Initiative include Dr Naoko Yamamoto, Dr Erika Enrichette (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation), Sir Michael Marmot, Professor Patrick Bodenmann of the University of Lausanne/UNISANTE.
These experts, joined by a panel of countries participating in the Initiative, discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted and increased the need to for urgent action and why this initiative is important.
This event was open to all including representatives of Governments, academia and research institutes, multilateral system partners and members of international professional organizations, civil society and community groups working to build a fairer, healthier world for everyone, everywhere.
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Programme speakers (Moderated by Dr Kumanan Rasanathan)
Opening remarks:
Dr Zsuzsanna Jakab, Deputy-Director General, WHO
Opening panel:
- Dr Naoko Yamamoto, Assistant Director-General, UHC/Healthier Populations Division, WHO
- Sir Michael Marmot, Director, Institute of Health Equity, University College London
- Dr Erika Placella, Deputy Head, Global Program Health, Federal Dept of Foreign Affairs, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (access the presentation here)
- Professor Patrick Bodenmann, Chair of Medicine for Vulnerable Populations, University of Lausanne/UNISANTE (access the presentation here)
- Ms Maria del Carmen Cruz Martinez, General Secretary, Latin America Domestic Worker’s Confederation
Country panel:
- Dr Nicole Valentine, WHO Programme Lead, Technical Officer, Special Initiative
- Señor Juan Luis Bermúdez Madriz, Ministro de Desarrollo Humano e Inclusión Social, Costa Rica
- Dr Maryam Bigdeli, WHO Representative, Country Office, Morocco
- Professor Rajae El Aouad, National Commission on Social Determinants of Health, Morocco
- Dr Carlos Alvarenga, Viceministro de Gestión y Desarrollo del Ministerio de Salud, EL Salvador