The novel coronavirus disease -19 (COVID-19) which originated in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China last December 2019 has now posed a global challenge not only in health but also in the other facets of the society. As of July 31, 2020, Johns Hopkins University and Medicine Coronavirus Resouce Center reported that COVID-19 has affected more the 17 million individuals in 188 countries or regions with over 670,000 deaths.
The social determinants of health, on the other hand, are the circumstances in the society in which the people have grown up with that bears an impact to their health. The level of education, water and sanitation, housing, employment, and food production among others, entail the social determinants of health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO (n.d.), the distribution of money, power and resources at global, national, and local levels form these circumstances. These social determinants then are predominantly responsible for health inequities that manifest as differences in the health status within and between the countries.
The current challenge on health emphasizes that the social determinants greatly affect the health sector worldwide as well as the health outcomes. Also, it seems that the severity of the health outcomes is being set off because of the effect of the pandemic itself to the social determinants. Poverty, for one, lessens an individual’s opportunity to seek medical care. In our country, most individuals, especially if they are financially challenged, pay for their medical needs through user fees or out-of-the-pocket expenditures. This could imply that if a person who is unemployed and has the symptoms may opt to self-medicate or ignore the symptoms just to allocate his or her money to the other “more important” needs of the family such as food, water, and shelter. People who are also living in a run-down neighbourhood may lack the observance of social distancing. Thus, poverty may increase the disease burden. Second, education and literacy also play a role in information dissemination about COVID-19 as educating the public increases awareness of the disease. Third, personal health practices and coping skills also play a role as hygienic measures are being imposed to avoid the transmission of the disease and support centres are being created to cater the physical, spiritual, and mental health of the general population amidst the community quarantine. Fourth, age and gender are taken into consideration as there are safety measures imposed for the children, elderly, pregnant women, as well as the immunocompromised to lessen the morbidity. Fifth, health services offered by public and private sectors have been experiencing this tough challenge in our country because of the increasing number of cases and their high risk of contracting the disease. Moreover, resources such as testing facilities, quarantine facilities, and medical professionals are limited.
In our communities, we can see and experienced in the previous months, everything came to a halt. Jobs, education, economy, and everything else that we call important to live a normal life. The pandemic has affected all people of different walks of life. Needless to say, people who are living from hand-to-mouth are at a disadvantage. On a positive note, since staying at home is a mandate, it is a time that families come together. More people are going to gardening for a sustainable means of having food. Community leaders at the grassroots are being mobilized as they have to do their best in implementing measures to secure the safety of its residents by following the guidelines implemented by the authorities.
The battle against COVID-19 requires a collective effort. But more importantly, the leadership of the people in authority is a vital aspect to lay the foundation of achieving a healthy nation. Eliminating health inequities and prioritizing the health of every Filipino would help in this quest towards a healthy nation.
By: Kathreena C. Lagura
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