The gap in health between rich and poor in Britain and around the world is “unfair, unjust and avoidable”, a World Health Organisation report said Thursday, pointing a spotlight on the government’s dismal record on inequality. Blaming a “toxic combination of bad policies, economics and politics”, the WHO’s commission on the social determinants of health said injustice was “killing people on a grand scale”. Reducing health inequities was “an ethical imperative”, it said.[WHO attacks ‘avoidable’ health inequalities, Financial Times, August 28 2008]
위와 같은 문구로 시작되는 이 기사는 세계보건기구의 주장을 인용하여 의료불평등을 없애기 위해서는 주거조건과 근로여건 등에 대한 개선과 의료보장에 대한 보편적인 적용 등의 조치가 필요하며 권력, 돈, 자원에 대한 불평등한 분배도 저지하여야 한다고 전하고 있다.
실제로 WHO의 보고서는 현재 전 세계인의 보건의료가 위협을 받고 있으며 이는 시장주의자들이 주장하는 바와 달리 공공부문의 역할강화를 통해 달성하여야 한다고 주장하고 있다. 우리나라 정부나 파이낸셜타임스 기사 베끼기에 익숙한 보수언론조차 – 프레시안은 이를 보도했지만 – 이 보고서의 존재를 알릴 이유는 하등 없을 것 같다.
Health is not a tradable commodity. It is a matter of rights and a public sector duty. As such, resources for health must be equitable and universal. There are three linked issues. First, experience shows that commercialization of vital social goods such as education and health care produces health inequity. Provision of such vital social goods must be governed by the public sector, rather than being left to markets. Second, there needs to be public sector leadership in effective national and international regulation of products, activities, and conditions that damage health or lead to health inequities. These together mean that, third, competent, regular health equity impact assessment of all policy-making and market regulation should be institutionalized nationally and internationally.[Closing the gap in a generation, WHO, 20p]