The Italian National Institute for Health, Migration, and Poverty (INMP), a WHO Collaborating Center on Health and Migration Evidence and Capacity Building, has launched a new online tool to support countries to tackle and reduce health inequities. Socioeconomic inequality and its impact on health is a growing concern in Italy, affecting primarily marginal groups of the native population and broader classes of immigrants. People with lower socioeconomic status do not have equal access to the services and opportunities they need to lead a healthy and happy life.
The Repository of health equity public health interventions (Repertorio degli interventi di Sanità Pubblica orientati all’Equità nella Salute (ReSPES)) is a free, publicly accessible catalogue of equity-oriented public health interventions, which have been evaluated by a group of independent experts. Interventions that are positively evaluated can help inform future actions in reducing health inequalities and contribute to decision-making that will benefit the health of communities.
“Recent and current events tell us we cannot enjoy peaceful and thriving societies without the right to health,” says Chris Brown, Head of the WHO European Office for Investment for Health and Development. “I congratulate our partner, the WHO Collaborating Center for Health and Migration Evidence and Capacity Building, and highly recommend this online tool which brings forward practical options to reduce health inequities and tackle stigma and discrimination at its root.”
The ReSPES
The National network for social and health care issues related to migrant populations and poverty (Rete nazionale per le problematiche di assistenza in campo socio-sanitario legate alle popolazioni migranti e alla povertà (ReNIP)) is a repository of vetted interventions to inform future national activities that promote health equity. The information can be searched easily by topic, type of intervention, target group, geographic area, or by simply using a keyword.
“This tool provides valuable information about health and social inequities,” explains Gianfranco Costanzo, INMP’s Health Director and ReSPES lead. “It will help decision-makers and funders optimize their investments in reducing barriers to health equity, tackling vulnerability, and increasing solidarity for health, and avoiding dispersion of resources. The tool is also a guide for health stakeholders, at different levels, to identify action areas that require further research.”
WHO/Europe, through the European Programme of Work 2020-2025 “United Action for Better Health” is committed to supporting its Member States in finding solutions and shaping policy to overcome barriers to tackling health and social inequities.
For more information and to browse through the ReSPES catalogue, please visit https://respes.inmp.it/. Please note that it is only available in Italian.
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