Equitable access

This volume of the Global Forum Update on Research for Health covers the issue of equitable access and the research challenges it poses in trying to improve health and reduce health disparities in developing countries. Research has a central role to play in addressing health inequities. It can identify the presence of major health disparities, help to create understanding of the underlying causes and provide potential solutions to be tested, verified, and scaled up. The spectrum of research required to support equitable access to health is therefore very broad. It encompasses not only biomedical research to understand biological causes of ill-health and develop medical solutions, but also research into economic, environmental, political, and social determinants of health; and it ranges from studies of how policies are developed and implemented at global and national levels to the examination of their effectiveness and impact on the health of those who have been marginalized.