Human Rights and Health

What is the Human Right to Health?

Every woman, man, youth and child has the human right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, without discrimination of any kind. Enjoyment of the human right to health is vital to all aspects of a person's life and well-being, and is crucial to the realization of many other fundamental human rights and freedoms.

The Human Rights at Issue

Human Rights relating to health are set out in basic human rights treaties and include:

The human right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, including reproductive and sexual health.

The human right to equal access to adequate health care and health-related services, regardless of sex, race, or other status.

The human right to equitable distribution of food.

The human right to access to safe drinking water and sanitation.

The human right to an adequate standard of living and adequate housing.

The human right to a safe and healthy environment.

The human right to a safe and healthy workplace, and to adequate protection for pregnant women in work proven to be harmful to them.

The human right to freedom from discrimination and discriminatory social practices, including female genital mutilation, prenatal gender selection, and female infanticide.

The human right to education and access to information relating to health, including reproductive health and family planning to enable couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly all matters of reproduction and sexuality.

The human right of the child to an environment appropriate for physical and mental development.

http://academic.udayton.edu/health/07HumanRights/health.htm

Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989)

Article 3

States Parties shall ensure that the institutions, services and facilities responsible for the care or protection of children shall conform with the standards established by competent authorities, particularly in the areas of safety, health, in the number and suitability of their staff, as well as competent supervision.

Article 24

1. States Parties recognize the right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health and to facilities for the treatment of illness and rehabilitation of health. States Parties shall strive to ensure that no child is deprived of his or her right of access to such health care services.

2. States Parties shall pursue full implementation of this right and, in particular, shall take appropriate measures:

(a) To diminish infant and child mortality;

(b) To ensure the provision of necessary medical assistance and health care to all children with emphasis on the development of primary health care;

(c) To combat disease and malnutrition, including within the framework of primary health care, through, inter alia, the application of readily available technology and through the provision of adequate nutritious foods and clean drinking-water, taking into consideration the dangers and risks of environmental pollution;

(d) To ensure appropriate pre-natal and post-natal health care for mothers;

(e) To ensure that all segments of society, in particular parents and children, are informed, have access to education and are supported in the use of basic knowledge of child health and nutrition, the advantages of breastfeeding, hygiene and environmental sanitation and the prevention of accidents;

(f) To develop preventive health care, guidance for parents and family planning education and services.

3. States Parties shall take all effective and appropriate measures with a view to abolishing traditional practices prejudicial to the health of children.

Article 25

States Parties recognize the right of a child who has been placed by the competent authorities for the purposes of care, protection or treatment of his or her physical or mental health, to a periodic review of the treatment provided to the child and all other circumstances relevant to his or her placement.

International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966)

Article 12

1. The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.

2. The steps to be taken by the States Parties to the present Covenant to achieve the full realization of this right shall include those necessary for:

(a) The provision for the reduction of the stillbirth-rate and of infant mortality and for the healthy development of the child;

(b) The improvement of all aspects of environmental and industrial hygiene;

(c) The prevention, treatment and control of epidemic, endemic, occupational and other diseases;

(d) The creation of conditions which would assure to all medical service and medical attention in the event of sickness.

ՀՀ ԳԵՐԱԳՈՒՅՆ ԽՈՐՀՐԴԻ ՈՐՈՇՈՒՄԸ ԲՆՈՒԹՅԱՆ ՊԱՀՊԱՆՈՒԹՅԱՆ ՄԱՍԻՆ ՀՀ ՕՐԵՆՍԴՐՈՒԹՅԱՆ ՀԻՄՈՒՆՔՆԵՐՆ ԸՆԴՈՒՆԵԼՈՒ ՄԱՍԻՆ

Հայաստանի Հանրապետության յուրաքանչյուր քաղաքացի իրավունք ունի`

- օգտվել բնության առողջարար հատկություններից.

- օրենքով սահմանված կարգով օգտվել բնության բարիքներից.

- ստանալ շրջակա միջավայրի աղտոտման, էկոլոգիական վթարի կամ աղետի հետևանքով առողջությանը պատճառված վնասի լրիվ հատուցում.

- պահանջել և ժամանակին ստանալ ամբողջական ու ճշգրիտ տեղեկություն շրջակա միջավայրի իրավիճակի մասին.

- բնակվել մաքուր շրջակա միջավայրում, իսկ վերջինիս խախտումների դեպքում` ստանալ էկոլոգիական աղետյալի կարգավիճակ, որի դեպքում կիրառվում է Հայաստանի Հանրապետության Նախարարների խորհրդի կողմից սահմանված համարժեք փոխհատուցման համակարգը.

- մասնակցություն ունենալ բնության պահպանության վերաբերյալ օրենքների և որոշումների մշակմանն ու դրանց իրականացման նկատմամբ հսկողությանը.

- ներգրավվել բնապահպանական հասարակական կազմակերպություններում.

- օգտվել այլ իրավունքներից, որոնք չեն հակասում բնապահպանական օրենսդրությանը:

Հանրապետության յուրաքանչյուր քաղաքացի պարտավոր է անշեղորեն կատարել բնապահպանական օրենսդրության պահանջները, աջակցել բնության պահպանությանը: