Globally, millions of individuals are at risk of losing their right to health due to various factors. These include diseases, disasters, conflicts and the ongoing climate crisis. The consequences of these challenges range from physical impairments and death to psychological distress and environmental pollution.
Despite many countries recognizing health as a fundamental human right in their constitutions, there is a lack of legislation and policies that guarantee access to healthcare for their populations. This issue affects more than half of the world’s population or approximately 4.5 billion people who were not fully covered by essential health services in 2021.
For World Health Day 2024, the theme is ‘My health, my right’, which aims to advocate for everyone’s right to quality health services, education, information, clean air, safe drinking water, good nutrition, adequate housing, decent working conditions and freedom from discrimination. This theme emphasizes the importance of addressing these challenges and ensuring that everyone has equal access to healthcare and a healthy environment.
The Programme for Gender Equality, Human Rights and Health Equity plays a critical role in promoting human rights in healthcare. Initiatives such as the 2023 Human Rights Day poster campaign that emphasizes that health is a human right help raise awareness about the importance of ensuring that healthcare is accessible to all.
