The spiral of exclusion seriously affects health
We are entering the 21st century and we are still talking about a 19th century concept. Why don't we achieve social justice if we have the means to do so!
Social justice is understood as the absence of inequality. Among the many dimensions it encompasses, here I want to emphasize how exclusion impacts health. And I will do so with data that has just come out of the oven. The results of the Survey on Integration and Social Needs 202 have just been published and in what is a new Report on Exclusion and Social Development in Catalonia prepared by the Foessa Foundation, promoted by Càritas , who chairs its board of trustees. It is a reference entity in the study of inequalities. In addition, this latest report is the first complete X-ray of the COVID-19 crisis in Catalonia .
Marina Garcés Mascareñas
Although it is not a study designed with health in mind, conclusions can be drawn in this field. Thus, this report tells us that the impact on health and mental health of COVID-19 has been intense, although this impact is more related to the social crisis generated by the pandemic than to the health crisis of the coronavirus itself.
The data shows how in Catalonia, the state of mind of those who already had affected health and were already receiving the worst effects of COVID-19 has worsened the most: 17% of the population has a serious illness or a diagnosed chronic health problem and of these people, 8.8% do not receive medical attention for this health problem.
Beyond the differential impact of COVID-19 in Catalonia, the report makes it clear that there are other problems that compromise people's health, and that are rooted in socioeconomic factors. One is access to medicines . One And 3.3% of respondents do not have access to them because they cannot afford them.
The social challenge left by the pandemic
The other is inadequate or insufficient nutrition. It is very worrying that, today, in 3% of Catalan households, currently or during The last ten years, he has gone hungry.
The prevalence of these difficulties is higher among people in situations of social exclusion. Within this group, 45.7% have stopped buying medicines due to financial problems, 1.7% have experienced situations of hunger and 4.5% are made up of adults with disabilities, chronic illness or serious health problems.
In addition, this crisis has significantly affected people's emotional well-being and mental health, with 42% experiencing a worsening of their mood . Here we are also talking about a more intense impact on people whose health was already affected.
People with mental disorders have more situations of exclusion than the rest of the population. And those who find themselves in severe exclusion, a much higher frequency, with 27.6% of people among those with a mental disorder compared to 4.2% of those without.
In short, we are faced with a vicious circle formed by the health and social crises, which end up feeding each other: the health crisis generates a social crisis that intensely affects the health of people living in the most disadvantaged households, which, ultimately, reduces their chances of social integration.
To break this vicious spiral, a miracle is not needed; it is enough to guarantee sufficient income and strengthen social protection for all people.
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