PHA-Exch> Food for a-call-to-action thought

[Claudio Schuftan]

Human Rights Reader 195



*THE HUMAN RIGHT TO HEALTH CARE PROCESS REVISITED.*
(Part 1 of 2)
                                 Health is neither an expenditure
                                 nor an  investment:
                                 Primarily and foremost
                                 it is a *right*.



1. For starters, let us look at what the human right to health care process
is: It is an ethical and political enterprise; it is a UN mandate; it is
thus not optional; it pursues building people and human rights-centered
health systems; it refers to a very specific framework. It is thus
*not*"yet another approach"…



2. Further, let us dispassionately look at what the current reality is: Most
health services around the world are, to an important degree, market driven;
the health sector is indeed quite profitable. This notwithstanding, private
health systems do receive public funds in the form of subsidies and often
handsome tax breaks. Moreover, even if state owned, public health systems
frequently still serve private production/productivity-centered interests.

People simply need to know this!



3. For people to know, a debate needs to be opened with no further ado on
how work-on-health-as-a-human right is to lead to a democratic social
movement around vital, strongly-felt health issues in the community. (Be
reminded here that "democracy without active participation to foster
grassroots social justice is merely a formality").



4. By applying the human rights-based framework to health, people need to be
aware that they will be struggling for an indivisible triad, namely:

·        For *Universal Coverage*: for every person, lifelong.

·        For *Comprehensive Care*: for all health and social needs, for
life.

·        For *Equity in Health*: as a matter of social justice, with access
to quality services guaranteed at the time needed, with no differences for
all who have the same needs.

Each of these three is necessary-but-not-sufficient for the realization of
the human right to health !



5. The equity imperative depicted here-above does not pertain or refer to a
"minimum", but to what is fair and just. The equity imperative simply
establishes the right(s) of everybody (…which, mind you, are
*already*enjoyed by the privileged individuals or groups in society).
The example
that comes to mind here is the stark contrast between "child survival" and a
"child's right to a healthy life": ponder the difference of this  contrast
in terms of equity --beyond mere (crude) survival.



6. Inequities are thus intolerable differences between groups in relation to
set standards when considering health as a human right.



7. The lack of equity in health highlights the fact that there are no real
cross-subsidies in our societies: The rich pay proportionately less
taxes…and subsidies for safety nets remain token and do not work beyond the
short-term since they do not address the root causes of poverty.



8. We have all seen it: As efficiency concerns in public health systems
increase, redistributive justice and health-as-a-human-right-concerns
decrease or disappear.



Claudio Schuftan, Ho Chi Minh City

cschuftan at phmovement.org

[All Readers can be found in www.humaninfo.org/aviva  under
No.69<http://www.humaninfo.org/aviva%20%20under%20No.69>
]

__________

Partly adapted from Dr Armando Denegri Filho.
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