9. Health Equity
The term “health equity” is different from health equality since treating everyone the same doesn’t ensure that their individual needs will be met. The World Health Organizations defines health equity as “the absence of avoidable or remediable differences among groups of people, whether those groups are defined socially, economically, demographically or geographically.” The WHO highlights the importance of health equity in the context of health as a “fundamental human right” and notes that when individuals realize improved health, inequalities will be reduced and the opportunity to “enjoy life and pursue one’s life plans” will be enhanced.
10. Health Indicator
Health indicators are “measures that reflect or indicate the state of health of persons in a defined population.” Such indicators can be used to compare health care in various parts of the world to better understand how countries are faring and what factors may be affecting progress. Some key public health indicators by the World Health Organization include per capita health expenditure; life expectancy at birth; immunization coverage rates; populations using improved drinking water sources; and the density of the physician health workforce.