Is universal health coverage the practical expression of the right to health care?
Date
2014Author
Ooms, Gorik
Latif, Laila A
Waris, Attiya
Brolan, Claire E
Hammonds, Rachel
Hammonds, Rachel
Friedman, Eric A
Mulumba, Moses
Forman, Lisa
Language
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The present Millennium Development Goals are set to expire in 2015 and their next iteration is now being
discussed within the international community. With regards to health, the World Health Organization proposes
universal health coverage as a ‘single overarching health goal’ for the next iteration of the Millennium Development
Goals.
The present Millennium Development Goals have been criticised for being ‘duplicative’ or even ‘competing
alternatives’ to international human rights law. The question then arises, if universal health coverage would indeed
become the single overarching health goal, replacing the present health-related Millennium Development Goals,
would that be more consistent with the right to health? The World Health Organization seems to have anticipated
the question, as it labels universal health coverage as “by definition, a practical expression of the concern for health
equity and the right to health”.
Rather than waiting for the negotiations to unfold, we thought it would be useful to verify this contention, using a
comparative normative analysis. We found that – to be a practical expression of the right to health – at least one
element is missing in present authoritative definitions of universal health coverage: a straightforward confirmation
that international assistance is essential, not optional.
But universal health coverage is a ‘work in progress’. A recent proposal by the United Nations Sustainable
Development Solutions Network proposed universal health coverage with a set of targets, including a target for
international assistance, which would turn universal health coverage into a practical expression of the right to
health care.
Citation
Ooms, Gorik, Laila A. Latif, Attiya Waris, Claire E. Brolan, Rachel Hammonds, Eric A. Friedman, Moses Mulumba, and Lisa Forman. "Is universal health coverage the practical expression of the right to health care?." BMC international health and human rights 14, no. 1 (2014): 3.Publisher
University of Nairobi