Global Health Inequalities by Numbers

Which healthcare systems around the world are deemed the fairest for patient equality, based on the current laws and regulations in place?

When it comes to injustices around the world, one of the most worrying topics is that of medical and health inequality. For instance, 68% of the countries included in the report don’t have access to free birth control at any age. There are many factors that contribute to this, ranging from laws, insurance policies, age restrictions, outdated views on gender, and much more. 

How developed a country is in general also plays a huge part in residents’ access to the necessary healthcare for their needs, as well as how progressive their governments are with such issues as medical screenings, transgender care, and abortion rights, to name just a few. 

With this in mind, here at Radar Healthcare we have carried out some in-depth research of 35 developed countries around the world to highlight and break down those which offer the best examples of health equality across gender rights. 

Our Health Inequalities Report considers aspects such as how a country manages minority groups, surgeries, hormonal treatments, birth control options and more, to reveal which areas have the most areas to improve on to strive for true healthcare equality.

Hayley Levene, Head of Marketing at Radar Healthcare, discusses how technology and data can help with decision making: 

“Radar Healthcare partners with organisations such as Public Policy Projects who are learning from experience (both their own and others) to make contributions to the policy debate which address real-world choices on the basis of real-world evidence. 

“As a healthcare supplier, Radar Healthcare is passionate about helping to make a difference and delivering improved outcomes. Working with PPP to produce reports such as ‘The Social Care Workforce: averting a crisis’, ‘The Digital Divide: reducing inequalities for better health’ and ‘Integrating Health and Social Care: a national care service’ is vital in helping to drive change and improve some of these health inequalities.

“For example, technology could offer oversight that 80% of patients or healthcare workers themselves are having suicidal thoughts – and this could prompt a process to be followed to tackle it, which will encourage decisions of change.”

Methodology and data sources: 

The Health Inequalities Report by the experts at Radar Healthcare discovers which of the world’s most developed countries offer the best healthcare in regards to a wide range of healthcare rights for citizens through their regulations and laws.

Taking a seed list of the top 35 most developed countries around the world, the report reveals the laws relating to the following in order to assess the biggest areas of inequality across different territories and how it impacts those of different genders, age groups, financial and sociological status, parenthood, surgery, birth control, and abortions: 

1. The legal age of consent – the age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to sexual acts
2. Doctor / patient confidentiality ages – the age a resident can speak confidentiality to a healthcare professional without parents/guardians being informed
3. Cervical cancer screening – what age are they recommended for women around the world
4. Mammogram screening tests – what age are they recommended for women
5. Flu vaccines – at what age is this offered to elderly residents around the globe
6. IVF treatment age range – how does your age impact your chances of becoming a parent via in-vitro in different countries around the world
7. Cosmetic surgery – at what ages can someone have a cosmetic surgery procedure
8. Transgender hormone treatment – at what age do healthcare practitioners in different countries allow transgender patients to start hormone treatment
9. Access to birth control around the world – (age requirements/costs/the countries offering free birth control)
10. Abortion laws – how do they differ across the world
11. Maternity leave laws – How much maternity leave are new mothers legally entitled to both paid and unpaid
12. Paternity Leave – Parental right for working fathers/partners around the world

Sources