The catalytic synergy of health and human rights: The People's Health Movement and the Right to Health and Health Care Campaign

Health and Human Rights

Volumn 10, Issue 1, 2008, Pages 137-147

  Turiano, Laura ^a,c   Smith, Lanny ^b  

^a Right to Health and Health Care Campaign

^b ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE   (United States)

^c NONE   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

HEALTH POLICY; HUMAN RIGHTS; POLICY IMPLEMENTATION; POLICY STRATEGY; PRIMARY HEALTH CARE; PUBLIC HEALTH; SOCIAL MOVEMENT; STRATEGIC APPROACH; SYNERGISM;

ALMA;

ETHICS; HEALTH; HUMAN; HUMAN RIGHTS; PROCEDURES; PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE;

GLOBAL HEALTH; HUMAN RIGHTS; HUMANS; PUBLIC HEALTH ADMINISTRATION;

EID: 57049104667     PISSN: 10790969     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.2307/20460095     Document Type: Article

References (51)

1. M. Hardt and A. Negri, Multitude: War and Democracy in the Age of Empire (New York, NY: Penguin Press, 2004).
2. An Internet search easily turns up work on human rights approaches to an array of topics, including natural disaster response, budget analysis, prison management, climate change, essential medicines, health information systems, and water.
3. Others, such as Paul Hunt, have critiqued both the focus and strategies of well-intentioned progressive mainstream human rights organizations. See P. Hunt, Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health at the United Nations Human Rights Council, 4th Session, and, P. Hunt, Report on progress and obstacles to the health and human rights movement, in addition to cases on the right to health and other health-related rights (UN Doc. No. A/HRC/4/28), January 17, 2007. Available at http://www2.essex.ac.uk/human_rights_centre/rth/docs/ council.pdf. There is also increasing opportunistic use of human rights language by various establishment development organizations and multilateral institutions whose actions and impact do not demonstrate a real commitment to human rights. See the end of this essay.
4. For example, at the Indian Health Association meeting held the week before in Calcutta, 2,500 delegates elected their representatives for the PHA.
5. The People's Charter for Health (December 2000). Available at http://www.phmovement.org/cms/en/resources/charters/peopleshealth.
6. Further information on specific PHM history is available on the organization's website, especially in the PHM Newsbrief. Available at http://www.phmovement.org/cms/en/resources/newsbriefs. For other perspectives on PHM and its role in the growing political movement for health for all, see M. Fort, M. Meredith, M. A. Mercer, and O. Gish (eds), Sickness and Wealth: The Corporate Assault on Global Health (Cambridge, MA: South End Press, 2004)
7. I. Kawachi and S. Wamala, Globalization and Health (Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2006)
8. K. Lee, Gender, Globalisation and Health in Global Change and Health (Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press, McGraw Hill Education, 2005)
9. H. Rosling (ed), Global Health: an Introductory Text Book (Sweden: Studentlitteratur, 2006)
10. M. Rowson, "Health and an Emerging Global Civil Society," Global Change and Health (Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press, McGraw Hill Education, 2005)
11. and T. H. MacDonald, Health, Trade and Human Rights (Cambridge, MA: Radcliffe Publishing, 2006).
12. "The Frankfurt Dialogue," in People's Health Movement Newsbrief 18 (January - April 2006). Available at http://www.phmovement.org/cms/files/phm-newsbrief18.pdf.
13. See Revitalizing Health for All: Learning from Comprehensive Primary Health Care Experiences. Available at http://www.globalhealthequity.ca/projects/proj_revitalizing/ index.shtml.
14. People's Health Movement, Medact, Global Equity Gauge Alliance, Global Health Watch 2005-2006: An Alternative World Health Report (London and New York: Zed Books Ltd, 2005). Available at http://www.ghwatch.org/2005_report_contents.php.
15. "The Frankfurt Dialogue," in People's Health Movement Newsbrief 18 (see note 7).
16. See the work of Dr. Vandana Shiva on the corporate globalization of food and agriculture systems, available at http://www.zmag.org/zspace/search/ znetarticles/vandanashiva, and in such books as Stolen Harvest: The Hijacking of the Global Food Supply (Cambridge, MA: South End Press, 2000).
17. On public services, see Bretton Woods Project, "Bank and Fund undermining health, education spending." Available at http://www.brettonwoodsproject.org.
18. The website of Jan Swasthya Abhiyan has extensive information on its activities: http://phm-india.org. see also A. Phadke, "Right to Health Care: Towards an Agenda," Economic and Political Weekly 38/41 (Mumbai, India: October 11-October 17, 2003).
19. H. Potts, Accountability and the Right to the Highest Attainable Standard of Health (Essex, UK: University of Essex Human Rights Centre, 2008) contains specific examples of accountability mechanisms in the Indian Right to Health Care Campaign.
20. These 5-6 page forms are available for review, use, or adaptation at http://phm-india.org/campaigns/rthc/resources1.html. See also J. S. Abhiyan, "The Right to Health Care Is a Basic Human Right!" Available at http://phm-india.org/doc/pamphlets/ JSA%20Right%20to%20Healthcare%20Campaign.doc.
21. National Public Hearing on Right to Health Care. Available at http://www.cehat.org/pubhearthc.htm.
22. People's Rural Health Watch. Available at http://www.phm-india.org/campaigns/prhw/index.html. A. Shukla, C. Schuftan, L Turiano, "Post-Script - Pockets of Resistance," in Global Health Watch 2, to be published by Zed Books Ltd, September 2008, and personal communication with A. Shukla.
23. Foro Social Uruguayo de Salud. Available at http://elforosocialuruguayodesalud.blogspot.com/. P. Montero, "La ciudad de Paysandú será sede del Segundo Foro Social Uruguayo de Salud," La Republica. AÑO 9/2373 (November 16, 2006). Available at http://www.larepublica.com.uy/ comunidad/229652-la-ciudad-de-paysandu-serasede-del-segundo-foro- social-uruguayo-de-salud.
24. The Assessment of the Right to Health and Health Care at the Country Level: A People's Health Movement Guide. Available at http://www.phmovement.org. The Guide also gives advice on developing lobbying and activist strategies. Much of the Guide was adapted from the "Health Rights of Women Assessment Instrument," developed by Aim for Human Rights (formerly HOM) and available at http://www.aimforhumanrights.nl/fileadmin/user_upload/pdf/ HeRWAI_2006.pdf.
25. P. Brown, Toxic Exposures: Contested Illnesses and the Environmental Health Movement (New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 2007).
26. R. Shilts, And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic, (New York, NY: St Martin's Press, 1987)
27. L. Garrett, The Coming Plague, (New York, NY: Penguin Books, 1994).
28. F. Baum, "Cracking the nut of health equity: top down and bottom up pressure for action on the social determinants of health," Promotion & Education 14/2 (2007): pp. 90-95.
29. D. Woodward, "How Poor is 'Poor'? Towards a Rights-Based "Poverty Line." To be published online at New Economics Foundation. Available at http://www.neweconomics.org.
30. M. Torres Tovar, "Batalla de ideas en salud: El modelo de salud en Colombia, en función de los intereses del mercado," Le Monde diplomatique, edición Colombia, 6/65 (2008)
31. http://www.eldiplo.info/mostrar_articulo.php?id=663&numero=65.
32. See also the well-being section of the website of the New Economics Foundation that asks, "What would economic policy look like if it sought to primarily promote well-being?" Available at http://www.neweconomics.org/gen/well_being_top.aspx?page= 883&folder=136&.
33. Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights, International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, December 16, 1966. Available at http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/(symbol)/E.C.12.2000.4.En?OpenDocument.
34. World Health Organization, Commission on the Social Determinants of Health. Available at http://www.who.int/social_determinants/en/.
35. M. Kelly, A. Morgan, J. Bonnefoy, J. Butt, V. Bergman, "The social determinants of health: Developing an evidence base for political action," Measurement and Evidence Knowledge Network, Final Report to The World Health Organization Commission on the Social Determinants of Health, 2007. Available at http://www.who.int/ social_determinants/resources/mekn_final_report_102007.pdf.
36. C. Schuftan, Human Rights Reader 188 (February 2008). Available at http://lists.kabissa.org/lists/archives/public/pha-exchange/msg03720.html
37. WEMOS, "Method for Applying a Human Rights Based Approach." Available at http://www.phmovement.org/iphu/files/WEMOS_HRBAP.doc; http://www.wemos.nl.
38. ActionAid, Critical Webs of Power and Change. Available at http://www.actionaid.org/main.aspx?PageId=278.
39. J. Rand, G. Watson, Rights-Based Approaches: Learning Project (Boston and Atlanta: Oxfam America and Care USA, 2008). Available at http://publications.oxfam.org.uk/oxfam/display.asp?K= e2007080312524719&TAG=&CID=.
40. These bullet points are a compilation of similar conclusions from several sources, including: J. Chapman, V. Miller, A. C. Soares, J. Samuel, Rights-Based Development: The Challenge of Change and Power. GPRG Working Paper series 027 (Oxford, UK: Global Poverty Research Group, 2005). Available at http://www.gprg.org/pubs/ workingpapers/pdfs/gprg-wps-027.pdf
41. A. Cheria, E. Petcharamesree, and S. Petcharamesree, A Human Rights Approach to Development: A Source Book (Bangalore, India: Books for Change, 2003)
42. J. Rand and G. Watson, Rights Based Approaches: Learning Project (Oxfam America and Care USA, 2008). Available at http://publications.oxfam.org.uk/oxfam/display.asp?K= e2007080312524719&TAG=&CID=
43. L. London, in Lessons Learned from Rights Based Approaches to Health Conference Proceedings. Session 1.2.4: Theorizing Measurement, 2006. Available at http://humanrights.emory.edu/download/ ConferenceProceedings.pdf
44. A. Shukla, "A compiled review of the rights approach to health and health care," co-published by Beyond the Circle and MASUM (http://masumindia.org) in 2007. Available from the author at abhayseemasnl.com.
45. United Nations General Assembly resolution 217 A (III). The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (December 10, 1948). Available at http://www.unhchr.ch/udhr.
46. ActionAid, Critical Webs - An Introduction. Available at http://www.actionaid.org/assets/pdf/intro.pdf.
47. Recent examples of egregious greenwashing: DOW Chemical Company's exclusive sponsorship of the Blue Planet Run; Coca-Cola's partnering with the World Wildlife Fund; and Coca-Cola's claim of environmental responsibility because it has reduced to 2.52 litres the average amount of water used to produce 1 litre of beverage. Available at http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/citizenship/ environmental_report2006.pdf.
48. United Nations General Assembly resolution 55/2, United Nations Millennium Declaration (September 18, 2000). Available at http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/.
49. Personal communication with meeting participant.
50. P. Krugman, R. Wells, "The Health Care Crisis and What to Do About It," The New York Review of Books 53/5 (March 23, 2006).
51. Health and Education Department, International Finance Corporation, World Bank Group, The Business of Health in Africa (2007). Available at http://www.ifc.org/ifcext/healthinafrica.nsf/Content/ FullReport.