All the wars for equality are long gone, but still their achievements are far from ideal. There is no rule or law in the world stating that one should be healthier than another or that one’s wounds are more important than another’s. If a person is in need of help, the direct duty of the authorities is to provide one, no matter how rich or poor, old or young, important or not the person is.
The statistical studies show us that there are more than 800’000 people who die of suicide every day. And many of the factors and reasons have much to do with health issues, because there are stories known to be true, telling us about those who end their physical suffering, unable to bear it for longer. That became the root of euthanasia service.
But social injustice, as a root of suicide, cannot be disregarded. One of such issues is elder abuse, which is, due to undeniable evidence, an important social and public health problem. It exists in both developed and developing countries and is often being underrated by authorities. Only in the US, over 500’000 police reports of abuse are sent to higher echelons, what leaves us to wonder how many unreported cases must have taken place. Though the elder mistreatment extent is unknown, it obviously has moral and social significance, and being overlooked and underdiagnosed it becomes a worldwide problem. An access to the information on health and treatment for elders is also a topic that is waiting for consideration (Liang, 2012).
The solution, however, is already being developed. Those who care about the problem, due to the authorities’ permission, created an “Action on Elder Abuse” project, which is now working on the problem, seeking ways to protect elders in their homes and outside it. It is not yet fully financed, depending much on charity, but the start was set, and the works are being done.
Another example of social injustice is migrants and refugees treatment. And the matter is not only about them being set on a secondary priority, but also about responding to their needs, which can divert much. The issue is relevant to violence-exposed migrants and refugees, gender-based and sexual violence included. On the other hand, it is related to the problems of mental health, cardiovascular diseases, child and mother health, sexual reproductive health, vaccine-preventable disease and emergency care. In fact, a proper care for migrants and refugees can’t be a task of health care systems alone. Social health determinants spread over employment, education, housing, social security and other sectors.
The problem requires a proper response, including training, careful planning and, most important, adherence to the solidarity and equity principals, to dignity and human rights. A number of organizations, which are dealing with the issue, are providing help to different layers of society. A sound example is the WHO’s activity in Europe, running its Regional Office to provide support to the individual and countries affected, that includes on-site assistance and technical help. The basic goal is meeting health requirements of refugees and migrated people. Along with that, the Office provides consultations and policy advice on training of personnel, emergency kits delivery and contingency planning. The migrants’ health problem has also been stressed by the IOM (Peiro, 2011).
The existing troubles are rather serious to be ignored, but they can be solved, provided there are enough people in the world who really care about equal treatment and help to everyone.
Reference List
Liang, A. (2012). Elder abuse. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 60(2), 398.
Peiro, M-J. (2011). Migrants’ health in Europe. EpiNorth, 384(9958), 90-1.