If challenging health inequities requires questioning structures of power, then this must sit at the centre of the work of all physicians.
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De-centring medical expertise means fostering skillsets that reduce disparities in health outcomes. Medical expertise alone is great for those with social privilege, but not enough for the rest.
Racialized people are dsproportionately affected by diabetes, but are underrepresented in clinical studies.
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Diabetes trials are leaving out people who are most affected by diabetes, which creates a series of problems include the greater likelihood of missing rare and potentially dangerous side effects.
The federal government has announced almost $50 million in funding for gynaecological health care. But there’s more to do to help women with chronic pain.
Prejudice and stereotyping can negatively affect patient-provider communication.
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Māori and Pacific people already face a disproportionate burden of influenza and a persistently reduced life expectancy. Lowering the age for free flu vaccination is essential for achieving equity.
New Zealand’s health and education sectors are largely siloed and separate. But all the evidence points to collaboration within schools leading to better health and educational outcomes for children.
Arguments against including Indigenous cultural perspectives and experiences in public policy have spilled over into prejudice and racism on both sides of the Tasman. That harms democracy.
Research reveals what generations of tribes know firsthand: that forced assimilation and unhealthy conditions at compulsory boarding schools takes a permanent toll.
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Native Americans sent to government-funded schools now experience significantly higher rates of mental and physical health problems than those who did not.
The outcomes of obstetric operations has improved in the past decades. But women need equitable surgical care throughout their lives - not just during childbirth.
Drug patents don’t necessarily spur companies to innovate so much as restrict access to their IP.
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The Medicines Patent Pool was created to promote public health, facilitating generic licensing for patented drugs that treat diseases predominantly affecting low- and middle-income countries.
Achieving equity in global health requires addressing the root sources of inequity.
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While gender-affirming health care is essential to the well-being of trans people, access to quality services varies significantly by geographic region and social context.
Creating a safe space for patients to ask questions and provide fully informed consent could help increase clinical trial recruitment.
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Overcoming the access barriers and biases that underrepresented and underserved communities face could not only improve research participation but also improve care.
People inquire about receiving a monkeypox vaccine at an outdoor walk-in clinic in Montréal on July 23, 2022. The World Health Organization has declared the virus a global health emergency.
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When states reduce barriers for low-income children to get coverage, their mothers are more likely to be married and less likely to smoke.
Not engaging Black communities meaningfully in health and other policy-making processes has been a critical failure, reflecting a history of systemic racism, marginalization and political indifference.
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While policy organizations publicly claim that they want input from racialized and other marginalized communities, many fail to listen to, accept or integrate what those communities have to say.
Responding to the mental health needs of people who are unjustly disadvantaged by the pandemic in Canada will require accurate data.
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The mental health impact of the pandemic has not affected everyone equally. An equitable approach to mental health promotion, prevention and treatment can help ensure equitable access to services.
For patients, often children, with rare diseases, getting a diagnosis is difficult and time-consuming.
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Record-breaking technology can sequence an entire human genome in a matter of hours. The work could be a lifeline for people suffering from the more than 5,000 known rare genetic diseases.
COVID-19 vaccines and treatments aren’t societal silver bullets when health disparities persist.
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Vaccines and medical treatments can only go so far in an unequal society. Facing the ongoing history of racial discrimination and bias in the US would help end the pandemic.
Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne
Director, Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity and Centre of Research Excellence in Obesity Management and Prevention in Primary Health Care, UNSW Sydney
Independent journalist and health writer; Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney; Founder of Croakey.org. PhD candidate, University of Canberra