Health inequality of vulnerable groups of society and the effect of government policies on its reduction

Document Type : .

Authors

1 Department of Political Science, Kish International Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kish Island, Iran

2 Department of Political Science, Kish International Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kish Island, Iran Professor of political science and international relations at Gilan University

3 Department of Political Science, Kish International Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kish Island, Iran Professor of International Relations, Khwarazmi University

4 Associate professor, Department of Political Science and International Relations, South Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

10.30465/cps.2024.49907.3440

Abstract

In this article, the health inequality among the vulnerable groups of the society as well as the policies adopted by the government to reduce this inequality have been examined. This research seeks to answer the question that to what extent the universal health coverage policies have been based on the implementation of the health justice policy in shaping the allocation of resources, especially to vulnerable groups such as women, children, and the underprivileged? Hypothesis is based on the proposition that the sociological and political factors of resource allocation for health reform in Iran are mostly based on existing inequalities in health care and the demand for social justice in this field. The findings indicate the fact that attention to vulnerable groups has been on the agenda of the macro-policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the field of health and treatment since the very beginning and has always caused the decision makers to allocate resources to resolve these inequalities and focus more on these vulnerable populations of the society. The result of the research shows that despite the reduction of inequalities, the health sector still needs to establish and expand the basic axes for the establishment of social justice in the field of health, including universal health insurance and the rotation of insurance coverage; for example, employer-oriented government-oriented insurance coverage; remote health care, including telemedicine and digital health, and at the end of the paradigm shift from the volume of providing health services to the value of providing health services. This article is a descriptive-analytical qualitative method, and the data was collected by scanning library resources and document analysis.

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