Nierówności zdrowotne wykluczonych ekonomicznie mieszkańców Siemianowic Śląskich
Health inequalities among the economically excluded inhabitants of Siemianowice Śląskie

Author(s): Paweł Grzywna
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Politics, Social Sciences, Sociology
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego
Keywords: health policy; social inequalities; economic exclusion; social security;social security;
Summary/Abstract: An integral element of social development is the aspiration of individual countries to reduce differences in health condition among individuals representing different social standings. Good health in the community is considered to be one of the basic conditions of a balanced development, it is also an indicator of inner integrity and social balance. Moreover, the state of human health is seen from the perspective of fundamental rights and value especially protected by individual members of the society, as it influences, among others, the process of fulfilling social roles. Health condition of the people of Poland, which is still worse than the average in other countries of the European Union, determines actions undertaken to improve the state of health of Polish society in such a way as to narrow the existing gap between Poland and the average level of health condition in the European Union. A significant challenge for public authorities is also the reduction of social and territorial differences in the state of health of the whole population. Implementing the actions connected with the improvement of health condition of the society and levelling existing inequalities requires, however, access to the results of empirical research. For this reason, it is well-grounded and valuable to conduct empirical and theoretical studies on health policies which also take into consideration economic inequalities. The present work, therefore, undertakes the problem of theoretical aspects of economic exclusion and health inequalities, but the main purpose is to present the results of empirical studies that can offer a better identification of social and economic conditionings of health inequalities on the example of postindustrial space. Thereby, the work is a contribution to an in-depth analysis of health inequalities occurring among individuals affected by economic exclusion and inhabiting a post-industrial space, which undoubtedly the city of Siemianowice Śląskie exemplifies. Social problems that this city faces may in fact be regarded as a conglomerate of problems of post-industrial areas – at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries a coal mine and ironworks in which most inhabitants of the city had been employed were closed down. In consequence, the rate of unemployment reached 30 per cent, and further social problems appeared, especially poverty as well as social and economic exclusion. The monograph consists of four chapters, in which the following issues have been characterised: in Chapter One – reflections on the meaning of the notion of space in social sciences, with emphasis on post-industrial space and its relations with social and economic exclusion; in Chapter Two – social and demographic problems that occur in Siemianowice Śląskie; in Chapter Three – theoretical discussion of the organization and implementation of the research process; in Chapter Four – the results of the empirical research covering the determinants of health state and social and economic inequalities in health among excluded inhabitants of Siemianowice Śląskie. Also, the problem of using health-care system has been discussed here. The publication is addressed at readers interested in the problem of health policy and economic exclusion, governing bodies, especially including the representatives of local authorities, as well as non-governmental institutions.

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