DIFFERENTIAL MORTALITY AND INEQUALITIES IN HEALTH SERVICES ACCESS IN MAINLAND PORTUGAL

Authors

  • Diogo Guedes VIDAL UFP Energy, Environment and Health Research Unit. ´ Universidade Fernando Pessoa http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2777-2372
  • Manuela Pontes UFP Energy, Environment and Health Research Unit. ´ Universidade Fernando Pessoa http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3089-7475
  • Esmeralda Barreira Instituto Português de Oncologia, E.P.E. – Clínica do Pulmão UFP Energy, Environment and Health Research Unit. Faculty of Health Sciences, University Fernando Pessoa http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5880-1669
  • Gisela M Oliveira UFP Energy, Environment and Health Research Unit. ´ Universidade Fernando Pessoa http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1803-6098
  • Rui Leandro Maia UFP Energy, Environment and Health Research Unit. Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, University Fernando Pessoa. Praça 9 de abril, 349, 4249-004, Porto, Portugal. CITCEM – Centro de Investigação Transdisciplinar Cultura, Espaço e Memória. http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7006-5043

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18055/Finis14118

Abstract

The guarantee of the right to health protection, with the priority of suppressing health inequalities, is a main goal of the Portuguese National Health Service. In this context, the health care access equity in mainland Portugal continues to be a challenge for public health policies, with a littoral territory where health services are concentrated and interior depopulated zones, stripped of health services and condemned to a physical and social isolation. Based on year 2011 data from PORDATA , the present work studies how mortality is related to health services distribution - namely hospital infrastructures, health centres and health professionals - and with population characteristics related to illiteracy and ageing. The results show a strong association between mortality and health services distribution, highlighting that mortality increases with the decrease of health services distribution, worsening when related to population illiteracy and ageing. Results reveal the importance to draw up local level public policies, focused on the socio-cultural specificities of the territories, which are mainly materialized in a distribution of health services closer to isolated populations according to their needs.

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Author Biography

Diogo Guedes VIDAL, UFP Energy, Environment and Health Research Unit. ´ Universidade Fernando Pessoa

Licenciado e Mestre em Sociologia pela Faculdade de Letras da Universidade do Porto. Doutorando em Ecologia e Saúde Ambiental, Investigador na Unidade de Investigação em Energia, Ambiente e Saúde da Universidade Fernando Pessoa (FP-ENAS).

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Published

2019-01-18

How to Cite

VIDAL, D. G., Pontes, M., Barreira, E., Oliveira, G. M., & Maia, R. L. (2019). DIFFERENTIAL MORTALITY AND INEQUALITIES IN HEALTH SERVICES ACCESS IN MAINLAND PORTUGAL. Finisterra, 53(109), 53–70. https://doi.org/10.18055/Finis14118

Issue

Vol. 53 No. 109 (2018)

Section

Articles

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