Health Rights.am

Mental Health Human Rights -” Case law in Europe

05.08.10 - When they first confront the mental health system, many do not realize what their rights are under US civil law or under international human right law. 

Open the door to health-care equality

06.08.10 - For most Americans, the response is automatic: When confronted with a medical emergency, seek treatment at the nearest hospital. But far too often, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people face unnecessary obstacles that prevent equal access to care.

The right to gynecological care: a focus on Obstetric fistula

Obstetric fistula leaves women in a painful limbo. “Not dead but not living either,” warns a recent Human Rights Watch (HRW) report. 

The Vienna Declaration

The Vienna Declaration is a scientific statement seeking to improve community health and safety by calling for the incorporation of scientific evidence into illicit drug policies. We are inviting scientists, health practitioners and the public to endorse this document in order to bring these issues to the attention of governments and international agencies, and to illustrate that drug policy reform is a matter of urgent international significance.

Declaration “Now More than Ever”

At the United Nations High Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS in 2006, world leaders reaffirmed that “the full realization of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all is an essential element in the global response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic.” Yet, 25 years into the AIDS epidemic, the “essential element” remains the missing piece in the fight against AIDS.

This declaration, endorsed by 24 nongovernmental organizations and networks around the world, affirms that, now more than ever, human rights should occupy the center of the global struggle against HIV and AIDS.

Download from HealthRights.am (315 kb)

Armenia Health System Performance Assessment, WHO/Europe 2010

Armenia, like many other countries, faces significant health challenges. It is crucial for the country to continue consolidating and advancing reforms of the health system. Two new reports, published on 26th February 2010 entitled “Armenia Health System Performance Assessment” and “Armenia National Health Accounts”, prepared by the Armenian Ministry of Health with the support of WHO and the World Bank, further contribute to the health system strengthening efforts of the Government.

Harm Reduction and Human Rights

In January 2009, IHRA’s HR2 programme released a report entitled ‘Harm Reduction and Human Rights: The Global Response to Drug-Related HIV Epidemics’. This report provides a concise overview of the global situation in terms of drug-related HIV epidemics worldwide, with a particular focus on the regions of Asia, Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa, and Sub Saharan Africa.

Download from the IHRA server (958 KB)

Havasupai Case Highlights Risks in DNA Research

April 21, 2010 - A settlement between 41 members of the Havasupai Indian tribe and Arizona State University highlights the risk researchers take when they fail to secure what is known as “informed consent,” fully informing research participants how their DNA may be used, legal experts and civil rights advocates said. 

Drugs in Portugal: Did Decriminalization Work?

Although its capital is notorious among stoners and college kids for marijuana haze–filled “coffee shops,” Holland has never actually legalized cannabis — the Dutch simply don’t enforce their laws against the shops.

Helping Patients Face Death, She Fought to Live

April 3, 2010 - By the time she was 38, Dr. Desiree Pardi had become a leading practitioner in palliative care, one of the fastest-growing fields in medicine, counseling terminally ill patients on their choices. 

M. Özden: The right to health. A fundamental human right affirmed by the United Nations…

“ The right to health. A fundamental human right affirmed by the United Nations and recognized in regional treaties and numerous national constitutions” was written by M. Özden, Centre Europe - Tiers Monde (CETIM), 2006 and divided into three parts: the right to health, a recognized right; the right to health, an interdependent an indissociable right; and the implementation of the right to health.

Download form CETIM server (473 kb)

Judith Asher: The Right to Health: A Resource Manual for NGOs

This Resource Manual for NGOs on the Right to Health was commissioned from the Commonwealth Medical Trust (Commat) by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and Huridocs in 1999.

Since that time a number of consultations and workshops have been held to assist with its preparation. In addition, some important developments have taken place in the interpretation of the relevant legally binding international human rights treaties, most importantly the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights’ adoption of a general comment on the right to health in 2000.

Download form AAAS server (1.31 mb)

Our right to the highest attainable standard of health, HRC of University of Essex & IFHHRO, 2007

This briefing aims to provide a very short, concise and accessible introduction to the right to the highest attainable standard of health.

Download form IFHHRO server (514 kb)

The Right to Health: A Toolkit for Health Professionals, BMA, IFHHRO & Commat, 2007

The British Medical Association, IFHHRO and the Commonwealth Medical Trust (COMMAT) recently launched the new resource The right to health: a toolkit for health professionals. COMMAT is an IFHHRO member and BMA an observer. The Right to Health Toolkit is designed to provide practical, realistic guidance for health professionals on the meaning and implications of the right to health. It is aimed at an international audience of health care workers and is designed to be rooted in everyday practice. IFHHRO headquarters was involved in the development of the resource.

Download form IFHHRO server (514 kb)

Global Health Risks

16 December 2009 - This report is a comprehensive assessment of leading risks to global health. It provides detailed global and regional estimates of premature mortality, disability and loss of health attributable to 24 global risk factors. The report provides an update for the year 2004.

Download the full Report form the WHO server (3.8 mb)