Socio-medical and Ethnical Dimensions of the Health Practice

Abstract

The dramatic social and economic changes that have taken place in the past two decades in SEE, have caused the existing inequalities in health to grow even bigger, not only between but also within the countries in the region. Backed up with the national health statistics, which gives a stark illustration of the effect of economic crisis and reveals a growing health divide, the issue is recognized to deserve greater attention; the once strong and sole focus of the health services to offer better care, newer treatments and more effective drugs, in the contemporary society requires to be accompanied with the much wider scope of needs of the modern patient - including more complex social interaction, better access to information through a multitude of sources, etc. The added complexity of the interactions in the health system where both patient and the doctor play a crucial role deserves much attention if we are aimed at reducing the inequality, socio-medical and ethical disparities.