Health for All in the Twenty-First Century, World Health Organization renewal, and equity in health: a commentary

Abstract

Health for All in the Twenty-first Century is the document presenting the global health policy adopted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1998, which reaffirms and updates the vision of Alma-Ata. This article provides a synopsis of the document and a commentary, concentrating on the issue of equity, which is central to WHO policy, and discussing cultural differences that underpin the notion of equity. The meaning of "equity" implies measurement, and the authors develop an approach to definitions of social strata and data issues that are used to quantify health differences. Finally, they discuss the way in which policies invoking equity are implemented into programs and present a rights-based approach as a case study of one way in which policy is being translated into action.