“More knowledge equals better health.” If only it were that simple.
When we discuss health literacy, the conversation often revolves around the individual – their ability to find, understand, and apply health information. But this perspective overlooks a much more critical question: How understandable and usable is our healthcare system itself?
We believe that health literacy is far more than an individual skill; it is a fundamental issue of equity and health justice. Too often, people in vulnerable life situations bear the heaviest burden of navigating an overly complex healthcare system. This needs to change. Health literacy should not mean that individuals must force themselves to adapt to a complicated system. Instead, the system must be designed to be intuitive, accessible, and usable for everyone, regardless of their background. It is not just a personal responsibility but a vital task for health policy.
We are excited to share that Igor recently had the opportunity to dive deep into these systemic perspectives. Together with Edith Flaschberger and Joachim Gerich, he was interviewed by “Meine Gesundheit”, a publication by the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (Österreichische Gesundheitskasse – ÖGK), to talk about this topic.
A huge thank you to the ÖGK team for the engaging discussion and for providing a platform to bring this crucial topic to a wider audience.
Read the full interview here (in German).
