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Public Health & Epidemiology vocabulary · Social Determinants and Equity

Access to healthcare

Meaning in public health & epidemiology, with examples

phraseCore term

In public health & epidemiology, access to healthcare means: The ability of people to get the health services they need when they need them, which depends on cost, distance, waiting times, language and whether the services exist at all.

In Turkish: sağlık hizmetlerine erişim

How it is used

Used in debates about rural areas, migrants, people with disabilities and costs. Barriers to access can be financial, geographical, cultural or administrative. Also written 'access to health care' or simply 'access to care'.

Example sentences

  1. Women in remote villages have poor access to healthcare during pregnancy.

  2. Mobile clinics were set up to improve access to healthcare for seasonal farm workers.

Common collocations

  • barriers to access
  • improve access to healthcare
  • unequal access
  • access to care
  • universal health coverageA situation in which everyone can use the good-quality health services they need, from prevention to treatment and care, without suffering financial hardship.
  • health equityThe situation in which everyone has a fair chance to be as healthy as possible, with no avoidable or unfair differences in health between social groups.
  • vulnerable groupsGroups of people who face a higher risk of poor health or have more difficulty getting care, for example because of age, poverty, disability, migration status or homelessness.
  • primary health careEssential, community-based health care that is people's first point of contact with the health system, covering prevention, treatment of common conditions and health promotion close to where they live.

More terms: Social Determinants and Equity

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.