Determinants To Health Essay

The World Health Organization (2013) believes that every human has a fundamental right to achieve the best possible health (WHO, 2013). The right to health allows systematic health protection for all and adequate living conditions that enable good housing, food and a healthy environment (NESRI, 2015). As with any issue there are multiple issues with the human right of health such as the impact of determinants to health and how governments or health systems have responsibility to the populace.
A person’s health depends on multiple factors that have considerable impacts on health status. People that reside in the same region or similar in age can have extremely different health status and this can be attributed to multiple health determinants. Determinants to health are physical, social, genetic, gender, age, access to health services, education, child development and a person’s own health practices (Skolnik, 2012). Gender is a determinant to health especially in women because they can develop certain diseases and cancers men cannot and they suffer the risk of child bearing. Environment is a powerful health determinant due to lack of proper sanitation and
Most high and middle income countries have accepted universal health care as a patient’s right but not all have accomplished this especially the U.S. yet giant strides are being made with the Affordable Care Act. Currently in the U.S., 37% of Americans say that the government should provide health care coverage to all whereas 50% of Americans believe health coverage is a person’s responsibility (Mangan, 2014). In order for any country to have fully participating citizens, the government needs to provide healthcare for people so that they can play a vital role in the social, economic and political life in the nation ( ProCon.org,