Public Health, Occupational Health and Epidemiology Conference

Public health and human rights are inextricably linked. Hence, access to healthcare should be respected as a human right but also as an integral part of social justice. Indeed, public health practice, in the context of managing health disparities, has been a benchmark in addressing the well-being of the individual and the security and dignity of the community.

The right to health is understood to mean that all persons shall have access to the health services and resources conducive to this end, with no distinction of any kind such as discrimination on grounds of race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Public health policies, underpinned by a human rights framework, aimed at eradicating a broad range of barriers toward healthcare access, including discrimination, poverty, and lack of infrastructure as obstacles, particularly to vulnerable segments of society. The purpose of public health interventions is to promote health equity to achieve a truly more just and equitable system of health care.

Health equity and social determinants of health are integral parts of the public health and human rights context. Housing, education, employment, and environmental conditions heavily influence health outcomes and must be addressed by public health in order to reduce health disparities or ensure equal opportunities for a healthy life for all. Policies supporting housing, education, and income security are likely to contribute to that aim by fostering conditions that enhance physical and mental well-being.

There is also a junction between public health and human rights in the requirements placed on informing patients regarding their rights over their health care, and autonomy, and keeping them privacy-protected. Ethical practices in public health are based on respect for the rights that individuals have to make decisions over their own health matters. The action creates trust within the structures of healthcare and supports public health initiatives because it will give assurance that every intervention provided is respectful and clear.

A human rights-based approach is essential to pandemics since, indeed, pandemics are also global health crises. Under such conditions, measures pursued for the purpose of public health must be adjusted and weighed in the equation between public safety on the one hand and individual liberties on the other. Policies on public health that position the right to health and human rights as the chief leverage can foster a more resilient society that lives health, justice, and dignity for all.