Polityka spójności na rzecz ochrony zdrowia a problem nierówności w zdrowiu w Polsce – ujęcie regionalne
Cohesion policy for health protection and health inequalities: a regional approach

Summary/Abstract: The paper is an attempt to identify trends in territorial health inequalities (at NUTS 2 level) in Poland in the context of cohesion policy and its main instruments. The research tool used is convergence analysis. Because regions play a central role in economic policy, regional research seems particularly significant. The conducted analysis has shown that no interregional convergence with regard to average life expectancy has been observed as yet. The life expectancy of males and females diverges regardless of their place of residence (in total), as does the life expectancy of males and females living in urban areas, which points to increasing inequalities among voivodeships. In rural areas, regional differences in life expectancy did not change significantly between 1995 and 2013 – sigma-convergence cannot be detected. No evidence of sigma-divergence has been obtained, either. The results do not allow for an unambiguous evaluation of how effective cohesion policies pursued in this area have been. An in-depth investigation would require analyses of other health indicators, particularly mortality rates.

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