Social participation
A crucial direction for policy to promote health equity concerns the participation of civil society and the empowerment of affected communities to become active protagonists in shaping their own health. Broad social participation in shaping policies to advance health equity is justified on ethical and human rights grounds, but also pragmatically. Also, from a strategic point of view, having public ownership of the SDH agenda is vital to the agenda’s long-term sustainability.
The way the health system contributes to social participation and the empowerment of the people, is defined as one of the main axes for the development of the Primary Health Care strategy (see World Health Report 2008 below) and in reaching health system goals, such as in the area of responsiveness (see WHO health systems strategy below).
What do we mean by "social participation"?
Social participation can take on a number of different forms including:
- informing people with balanced, objective information;
- consulting, whereby the affected community provides feedback;
- involving, or working directly with communities;
- collaborating by partnering with affected communities in each aspect of the decision including the development of alternatives identification of solutions; and
- empowering, by ensuring that communities retain ultimate control over the key decisions that affect their wellbeing.
Why social participation?
Civil society participation can strengthen political will around SDH and HE agendas and strengthen people’s control over the factors that affect their health - an important social goal. Ministries of Health cannot create participation, but they can create spaces that enable and encourage participation. Social participation involving vulnerable and excluded groups should seek the empowerment of those groups, increasing their effective control over decisions that influence their health and life quality and their access and use of health services.