As specified in the General comment no. 14, the right to health is an inclusive right. It extends not only to timely and appropriate health care but also to the underlying determinants of health, such as: Show
Key aspects of the right to healthThe right to health has a number of essential elements:
The right to health also contains certain freedoms and entitlements. See examples and learn more about the key aspects and common misconceptions of the right to health. Other human rights and the right to healthThe right to physical and mental health is closely related to — and depends upon — the realisation of other human rights. The right to health intersects, for example, with HIV/AIDS, disability, and climate change. Protecting the right to health means upholding other human rights such as:
This calls for a whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach to setting effective health policies that leave no one behind. Learn more about the links to other human rights, implications for individuals and specific groups, and the obligations of States with respect to the right to health in the Fact Sheet no. 31 and other key documents below. OHCHR’s work on the right to healthOHCHR plays an important role in promoting the right to health by:
Key documentsGeneral Comment No. 22 on the right to sexual and reproductive health (2016), The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights General Comment No. 15 on the right of the child to the highest attainable standard of health (2013), The Committee on the Rights of the Child General Comment No. 14 on the
highest attainable standard of health (2000), The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights A Human Rights-Based Approach to Health, OHCHR/WHO (2008) The Right to Health, Fact Sheet No. 31, OHCHR/WHO (2008) Latest reportsA/HRC/50/53: Report of the High Commissioner on Human rights and HIV/AIDS (2022) A/HRC/49/35: Report of the High Commissioner on COVID-19 vaccines(2022) E/2019/52: Universal health coverage and human rights (2019) A/HRC/38/37:
Contributions of the right to health framework in achieving the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (2018) A/HRC/34/32: Mental health and human rights (2017) Call for inputs |