Uma análise das desigualdades sociais no acesso à saúde

: o caso das pessoas em situação de sem-abrigo utentes da médicos do mundo

Abstract

In the course of the development process of contemporary societies and the growing inclination towards individualization, social inequalities are growing, as are situations ofvulnerability and social exclusion.So, taking into account that this dissertation considers health to be one of the most important areas for people's well-being, it seeks to analyse access to health services by the most vulnerable populations, focusing here on the case of homeless people. Faced with this problem, and in order to analyse it, the concept of access to health ispresented from a holistic perspective, i.e. in order to understand everything that influences health status, and the issue of inequalities and human rights, which are essential for analysing the issue of access to health, will be addressed. Here, access to health is positioned as a right for all, considering that the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic declares health to be a right for all citizens, regardless of what possibilities people have. However, this access is not the same for everyone. In line with the theme, reference will also be made to the practice of social work as a human rights and social justice occupation. The aim of this dissertation is therefore to analyse social inequalities in access to health care for homeless people, and to understand the factors that facilitate this access, as well as the barriers that stand in the way of access to health services. In addition to the discussion of the topic, there was the experience of an internship with Médicos do Mundo (MdM), which fights to guarantee access to healthcare for all. It ends with the results, which show that access to health is conditioned by various factors, and according to which the right to health is not safeguarded for many homeless people.

Date of Award	19 Dec 2024
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Inês Guerra (Supervisor)