I believe that healthcare is a universal human right.
It is well known that social determinants
cause and impact many diseases either in resource rich or poor countries. We largely learn about disease from a biomedical perspective and generally give short shrift to social determinants of health.
Here is a an interesting article that reports a social justice curriculum at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.The curriculum stresses physicians' obligation to participate in social justicework as an educational tool. It also emphasizes the importance of a mandatory, longitudinal, immersive, mentored community outreach practicum.
Although we advocate a biopsychosocial model of medical care, the curriculum is generally light on the ''social'' .
My hope is that this and similar social justice curricula will improve recognition and action on social determinants of disease, including access to healthcare, by the next generation of physicians.
