PHA-Exchange> Right to Health petition spearheaded by Paul Hunt and Mary Robinson

[Claudio]

On the morning of Friday 9th December, we will be launching an important 
 call for action regarding the human right to health. The call for action has 
 been endorsed by over 30 former heads of states and governments from all  corners of the world -- we enclose a copy.
 This London launch will be hosted by the British Medical Association. 

The right to the highest attainable standard of health is not a "right to be healthy,"

nor does it mean governments must put in place expensive health services beyond available public resources. But it does require governments to:

. Promote access to clean water, health care, adequate nutrition and sanitation without discrimination

. Invest in strong health systems

. Make sure that health care decisions are made accountably and with public participation

. Support low-income countries in their efforts to bring decent health to their peoples.

We refuse to accept a state of affairs in which life expectancy in rich countries approaches 80 years, while in some of the poorest it is below 40. It is also unacceptable that in some countries, 100 of every 1,000 children die before their fifth birthday, while in high-income nations, the mortality rate is less than 10 deaths per 1,000.

We will not stand by when every day, 30,000 children die of preventable illness, and every minute, five more women join the 20 million already living with HIV/AIDS, and one more woman dies while giving birth.

We find it intolerable that more than 1 billion people-one person in five-lack access to safe water and that only 10 percent of all health research and development spending is directed at the health problems of 90 percent of the world's population.

We call for systemic changes to build strong health systems:

. Funding of health systems must be increased through predictable, sustained and long-term investments, nationally and globally.

. User fees for primary health care must be abolished, financial barriers to access eliminated, and systems to ensure financial protection implemented.

. Countries, rich and poor, must confront urgently the crisis of human resources: increase training, ensure that mid-level cadres of health workers are expanded and empowered, provide adequate and fair compensation for all health workers, and take measures to stem the exodus of scarce health workers from the public sector.

. Countries must adopt and implement laws, regulations and policies to strengthen health systems, improve women's health, and establish tolerance and respect for women's decisions in all matters pertaining to their health and well being.

. HIV programs and policies must be oriented to the engthening of health systems and to the uncompromising protection of the health and rights of women and girls.

We call for these priorities to be reflected in poverty reduction and development strategies:

. Political leaders must recognize the critical importance of women's health and empowerment, and of health systems to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

. Countries must endorse the ICPD (International Conference on Population and Development) target of universal access to reproductive health by 2015 as an additional target to MDG 5.

These commitments are not optional. All people have a right to health. 

We urge governments, as well as international organizations, civil society groups, private companies, communities and individuals, to fulfill their responsibilities in ensuring the realization of the fundamental human right to health for all

 

1These action points were developed by participants of "Innovations in Supporting Local Health Systems for Global Women's Health," a high-level meeting held in Wye River, Maryland (June 2005), and are featured in the "Wye River Call to Action for Global Women's Health," signed by over 100 leaders from over 30 countries. 

Lead singer, U2

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