Income is the strongest determinant of health—and living in poverty is not just an economic and political issue, but fundamentally an issue of human health
How much money you make is more important than what you eat, how much you exercise, or even your genetic make-up, says Dr. Ritika Goel. She’s a family physician whose interests lie in the health and well-being of marginalized communities including those in the inner city of Toronto, rural Canada as well as internationally. Ritika observes that a recent series of articles in the Ontario Medical Review “highlight the fact that poverty is a medical problem, and healthcare providers are seeing the impacts on the front lines.”
Ritika believes that health is a human right and should be made accessible to all. She is a blogger at The Huffington Post and at Right to Health, and a member of the steering committee for the Medical Reform Group, an organization of physicians, medical students and others committed to ensuring access to high quality health care for all Canadians.
Nancy McInnes spoke with Ritika Goel about how income levels are tied to health and longevity and how our individual and collective health would improve if we raised the income level of the poorest and most marginalized members of our society, in a People First Radio interview first broadcast in April 2014.
RELATED SERIES Ottawa Citizen (July 5, 2014) | The socio-economic pyramid: Your address can be powerful medicine | Poverty a pernicious problem: TO doctor “prescribes” income to poor patients | Reclaiming health: Community health centre addresses the health effects of poverty | Without coverage: Program helps cancer patients meet financial, social challenges |
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Dr. Ritika Goel at a National Medicare Speakers Event in Toronto, April 6, 2014
