Healthcare Equity in an Era of Manufactured Conflict

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Ms. Sadia Khalid, a Scientist-Physician (MBBS, MD) at Tallinn University of Technologye. She is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the topic, nor The European Sting’s one.

Health is recognized internationally as a fundamental human right, yet in practice it remains deeply shaped by power, politics, and inequality. The evidence is clear: marginalized populations consistently experience poorer health outcomes due to social determinants such as poverty, disability, migration status, race, gender, and geography. These disadvantages form a vicious cycle in which poor health limits access to education and work, while social exclusion simultaneously restricts access to healthcare. Inclusive healthcare practice, as outlined in the “Twelve Tips for Inclusive Practice in Healthcare Settings,” offers a practical framework to interrupt this cycle by centring diversity, equity, intersectionality, and strength-based care.¹

However, these health inequities do not exist in isolation. They are increasingly intensified by a global political economy in which governments prioritize military expansion, resource extraction, and corporate profit over human welfare. In a world where wars are waged to secure financial dominance, protect the dollar as a global trading currency, and enable multinational corporations to access land, labour, and resources, public health systems are systematically underfunded or weaponized. The resulting instability disproportionately harms those already marginalized: people with disabilities, migrants, Indigenous populations, and the poor, who face heightened barriers to care amid displacement, austerity, and privatization.

Inclusive healthcare practices challenge this reality by rejecting deficit-based models and resisting the dehumanization that often accompanies both war and corporate-driven policy. Simple yet transformative actions, such as inclusive language, accessible physical spaces, employing culturally responsive communication, and delivering disability-competent care, reaffirm the dignity and agency of patients. These practices stand in direct opposition to global systems that treat human lives as expendable in the pursuit of economic and geopolitical power.

Ultimately, inclusive healthcare is not merely a clinical or administrative concern; it is a political and ethical stance. In an era marked by widening inequality and manufactured conflict, building inclusive, accessible, and equitable health systems becomes an act of resistance. By embedding inclusion at both individual and institutional levels, healthcare workers and organizations can help safeguard health as a human right rather than a commodity; affirming that care should serve people, not profit, and humanity, not empire.

¹Marjadi, B.; Flavel, J.; Baker, K.; Glenister, K.; Morns, M.; Triantafyllou, M.; Strauss, P.; Wolff, B.; Procter, A.M.; Mengesha, Z.; et al. Twelve Tips for Inclusive Practice in Healthcare Settings. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20, 4657. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20054657

About the author

Sadia Khalid is a Scientist-Physician (MBBS, MD) at Tallinn University of Technology. She is driven by a commitment to advance public health and scientific understanding. With research interests spanning molecular medicine, infectious diseases, bacteriology, hepatology, and gastroenterology, she aims to contribute meaningful, evidence-based insights that support health, safety, and community awareness.