REPORT ON THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH ... - bvsde

Eighty-three percent (83%) of the seventy (70) civil society organizations that took part in the
survey said there are social determinants of health, while sixteen percent (16%) agrees to some
extent that there are social determinants of health, one percent (1%) does not fully agreed that
there are social determinants of health, and zero organizations responded that they do not agree at
all with the statement.
Most of the organizations provided comments on their experience and approaches to facilitate
development of public policies for better health. The following list details comments by the
participating civil society organizations broken down by areas of work mentioned.
Housing, education, and the environment:
a. Increase the number of well-educated, healthy families by improving the effectiveness,
quality, and transparency of public education and housing services
b. Progress in the country by establishing public policies and systems for social protection
c. Housing conditions hamper rest and consequently also restrict expansion of capability
d. Sickly students cannot get a proper education
e. Creating a culture of health and access to public policies that guarantee basic conditions
for a healthy life, taking into account the following elements:
• Health policies
• Educational intervention
• Healthy environment
• Organization
f. The environment of members of poor and at-risk communities restricts their possibility of
access to their full right to health
g. Better health conditions are essential for physical and emotional development
h. Ensure that housing construction by the government is of good quality
Health systems:
a. Review the agreements between the health systems and the major pharmaceutical
companies to guarantee the human right to health; it should be a constitutional right in
every country
b. Lack of sexual and reproductive health services such as prenatal services and
contraceptives
c. Exclusion of poor clients by government health services, including gypsies, HIV/AIDS
patients, and the poor
Nutrition:
a. Limited economic resources lead to diseases associated with poverty and limited access
to healthy food
b. Lack of conditions that would enable them to have access land to grow healthy food
Income and employment:
a. Working conditions hamper rest and consequently restrict expansion of capacity
b. Unemployment is a factor in health
Experience with social inequities:
13