All people have the human right to health
Health goes beyond the physical health of an individual or a population and includes the broader societal dimensions.
Human rights go beyond the issue of access to healthcare and involve the legal parallels for protection of physical, mental and societal well-being.
Our work involves increasing awareness of the link between health and human rights.
We promote collaborative and multidisciplinary solutions to health problems to break down barriers that inhibit vulnerable populations’ access to health.
The need for a rights-based approach
Huge sums of money are spent annually to improve the health of populations. Yet, many of these people are unable to access the funded health programs and other health services because of discrimination, inequality and inadequate infrastructure. Outright discrimination or inadvertent neglect by doctors, government clinics, lawyers and policymakers, or even an uninformed media, prevent vulnerable groups from receiving the information and services they so desperately need. As a result, their serious physical and mental health problems go untreated. Learn More
“Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and inhuman.”
– Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Chicago Press Conference held on March 25, 1966 in connection with the Annual Meeting of Medical Committee for Human Rights