Discrimination in Health Cover Image

Дискриминацията в здравеопазването
Discrimination in Health

Author(s): Momchil Mavrov, Mariya Hristozova
Subject(s): Law, Constitution, Jurisprudence, Civil Law, Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
Published by: Пловдивски университет »Паисий Хилендарски«
Keywords: discrimination; health care; fundamental human rights; right to health; right to access medical care; the right to affordable; affordable and quality health services

Summary/Abstract: In today's international human rights protection system, citizens' health rights play an important role. These include the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, the right to access medical care, the right to affordable, acceptable and quality health services, the right to health information, the right to informed consent. The fundamental (or health) rights listed are universal, inalienable, and inherent in all human beings. They are promulgated in a number of international universal and regional treaties, conventions and other instruments, which mandate their application in the same way to all people, without any distinction or discrimination. Despite the existence of an international legal framework containing formal guarantees for the effective exercise of citizens' health rights, in practice millions of people around the world face discriminatory treatment in healthcare. The forms in which this discrimination occurs are most often the lack or limited access to health services, the violation of confidentiality of sensitive medical information (or sensitive medical data), the violation of the patient's right to informed consent, and others. The specific way in which discrimination is manifested in the health sector is irrelevant, because each of them leads to a serious infringement on fundamental rights of citizens.Therefore, the international community and sovereign states must formulate adequate health policies, implement effective health programs and comprehensive legislative and administrative measures to address inequalities in the exercise of health rights (or in the field of public health).

  • Issue Year: 2019
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 55-63
  • Page Count: 9
  • Language: Bulgarian