Human rights, equity and health sector reform

ETHICA

Human rights, equity and health sector reform

There have been a number of health sector reform initiatives recently, and there is a general sense that many of these initiatives have increased health sector efficiency at the expense of equity. Consequently, during the past few years, a substantial number of research projects on equity in health policy have been initiated. In parallel to this development there has also been a renewed interest in health as a human right, although there have been few attempts to combine these two movements. The aim of this project is to explore the potential of a human rights approach to health and and health care in order to improve the formulation and implementation of equitable health policies. Four concerns are central to an investigation of health as a human right:

Development of indicators or criteria for monitoring health as a human right
Development of a moral framework for health policy based on health as a human right
Development of a reporting and monitoring procedure for health
Explore effective means of community involvement in health policy decision making

The project will:

Develop criteria for an appropriate evaluation of the status of a country's health care system based on the experiences in four countries:
- Brazil
- South Africa
- Sri Lanka
- Thailand
Develop a procedure that will enable community representatives to obtain an understanding of the central issues of health policy and thereby achieve an effective input in health policy decisions by community members.