United by language, separated by inequality

Between the 13th and 15th of May, Rio de Janeiro hosted the 2nd Summit on Integration of Health Care in Portuguese-Speaking Countries - of which, by the way, there are nine: in alphabetical order, Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe and Timor-Leste. United by language, separated by inequality:
There is an 18-year difference in life expectancy between Portugal (82.5 years) and Mozambique (62 years).
Maternal mortality in Guinea-Bissau is 34 times higher than in Portugal.
Health expenditure per capita varies by up to a hundred times within the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP).
Social determinants and inequality: there is an 18-year difference in life expectancy between Portugal (82.5 years) and Mozambique (62 years)
Tim Donahue for Pixabay
These were some of the data presented by Ann Lindstrand, a Swedish pediatrician who speaks very reasonable Portuguese and is a representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Cape Verde. The scenario is even worse when you think in planetary terms. According to the entity, the disparity in life expectancy between nations reaches 33 years; in the poorest, the mortality rate for children under 5 years of age is 13 times higher. In Brazil, while a black man in Alagoas is estimated to live 66.7 years, a white woman in Santa Catarina can live, on average, 80.9 years. The data comes from the Instituto Mobilidade e Desenvolvimento Social) in partnership with Cedeplar/UFMG.
And what is behind this panorama? The so-called social determinants of health, which go far beyond personal choices. They encompass the conditions in which individuals are born, grow, live, work and age. Imagine a huge socioeconomic and cultural umbrella that houses all aspects that affect our existence: education, housing, work, sanitation, food security, environmental risks and access to health services itself. Each person's lifestyle is closely related to all these variables. When they fail, the results are dismal:
Populations with lower income represent the largest volume of hospital care and have the highest mortality rate.
Poor housing conditions increase respiratory illnesses and mental health problems.
Unemployment and job insecurity overwhelm emergency care.
"Health systems are a model of delays: for the patient to reach initial care and receive it; and then, in a later and more complex stage, to have access to referral care," said Lindstrand. The doctor resorted to a statement from the WHO itself that summarizes the paradox of the situation: "Why should the health sector only cure people to return them to the conditions that made them sick in the first place?".
It is important that countries that have cultural ties share information and good practices and, above all, formulate public policies to reduce inequality and promote equity. After all, the modifiable risk factors are generally known, but require a structural response:
Inadequate diet: diets low in vegetables and rich in ultra-processed foods are associated with cardiovascular mortality.
Sedentary lifestyle: contributes to obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Smoking and alcohol: are responsible for a significant number of deaths and cases of cancer.
Atmospheric pollution: direct impact on the triggering of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
Climate change: leads to heat waves, extreme events and the redistribution of vectors of infectious diseases.
Lives: 24% of global deaths are linked to environmental issues and the annual cost of pollution is around 820 billion dollars.
"Conversations from Beyond the Sea" project brings together Portuguese-speaking authors and readers

Source: G1

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