Can Scotland achieve its aim of narrowing health inequalities in a post-pandemic world?

Abstract

The reduction of health inequalities has been a stated aim of many Western governments. This is certainly true of the devolved government in Scotland, both historically1-4 and also currently: the need to narrow inequalities in health and its determinants has been emphasised by the present administration in all its recent parliamentary legislative programmes5-8. Indeed, the narrowing of economic inequality – a fundamental cause of health inequality9-12 – is one of the two ‘key pillars’ of the Scottish Government’s overall economic strategy13. However, as we seek to emerge from the current COVID-19 emergency, how will these laudable aims stand up in a post-pandemic world?