[Inequity in health: its historical development]

Area of Science:

• Philosophy of Science
• Public Health Policy
• Social Justice Studies

Context:

• Health inequity is a central issue in contemporary public health discussions.
• The concept of justice, originating in classical Greece, provides a historical foundation for understanding health equity.
• Philosophical evolution from Aristotle to modern thinkers like Rawls and Sen shapes current perspectives on equity.

Purpose:

• To review the philosophical and historical evolution of concepts related to justice and equity in health.
• To analyze the contributions of key thinkers to the discourse on health inequity.
• To examine the World Health Organization's framework for operationalizing health equity.

Summary:

• The study traces the concept of health inequity from ancient Greek philosophy, specifically Aristotelian distributive justice and equity (epiekeia).
• It details the evolution of these concepts through the Middle Ages and modernity, incorporating the ideas of influential philosophers such as John Rawls and Amartya Sen.
• The World Health Organization's approach, linking equity to health determinants and service provision, is presented as a contemporary operationalization of these historical and philosophical underpinnings.

Impact:

• Provides a historical and philosophical grounding for understanding contemporary health inequity.
• Informs public health policy by clarifying the conceptual basis of health equity.
• Supports the development of strategies for equitable health service provision.