Definition of Health Equity

Health equity is the absence of disadvantage to individuals and communities in health outcomes, access to health care, and quality of healthcare regardless of one's:

race
gender
nationality
age
ethnicity
religion
sexual orientation
immigration status
language skills
health status
socioeconomic status

Some examples of inequalities in health for the South Asian community in regards to:

health outcomes
higher rates of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, tuberculosis, oral cancer

obtaining quality healthcare
poor patient-provider communication, language barriers, lack of cultural understanding in regards to patient's religious beliefs, familial role, and attitudes of Western medicine, or provider discrimination

accessing healthcare
lack of insurance, legal barriers for undocumented immigrants, lack of transportation