Reducing health inequities in a generation: a dream or reality?

Inequalities in health are an indicator of distributional differences in the health status of populations. Low-income countries, which contribute 56% of global disease burden, account for only 2% of global expenditure on health.1 The WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health has called for “closing the gap” – resolving health inequities between different groups – in the course of a generation. It aims to achieve this by improving conditions of daily living; tackling inequitable distribution of power, money and resources; and measuring and ascertaining the impact of interventions.2 However, there are several challenges to realizing this dream.