By Metohuey Michael Adoglo
The World Health Organization have flagged inequality as a major hindrance to ending malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.
In a joint report delivered by the WHO and Global Fund it was revealed that the extent of underlying health inequalities had remained poorly documented and understood.
The joint report by the WHO and Global Fund surmised that if inequalities were not identified –people’s health related needs would in turn be hard to reach.
Using available global data for 32 health indicators up to 186 countries, the report revealed that while national averages of HIV, TB and malaria indicators have generally improved in the past decade, the poorest, least educated and rural subgroups tend to remain at a disadvantage across most HIV, TB and malaria indicators.
In conclusion the report called for a need to study even more data on inequalities to foster progress towards the end of the diseases, which should be complemented by other quantitative and qualitative studies.