Disability, health inequities and access to health services

Nowadays, people with disability are still confronted with violation of their rights and social inequities. The purpose of the present article is to study health inequities and the unequal access to health services for people with disability.The most prevalent model in the study of disability is the biopsychosocial model, while the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) is the selected classification system. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the contributing factors to the emergence of health inequities are structural factors in society, social determinants of health, risk factors and factors relating to the health system. The most significant barriers to accessing health services concern those ascribed to state policy and legislation, funding barriers, physical barriers, obstacles concerning communication, information and coordination and also, human resource barriers. Overcoming all these barriers has to become a state priority and includes a reform in legislation and political orientation, an increase in state funding, inclusive models of care, reasonable accommodations, employment of the universal design and lastly, educating and increasing the health and care workforce. As a conclusion, the need to take more intensive and targeted measures is highly emphasised, in order to ensure equity for the health of people with disability.