According to the World Health Organization, the right to health is “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well being” including the right to the enjoyment of a variety of facilities and conditions that are necessary for good health. These rights can be divided into two categories: those related to health care and those related to general living conditions affecting health, such as safe water, food, sanitation, shelter, and working conditions. The right to health does not mean that an individual has the right to be healthy, since no government can assure a specific state of health.  Rather, the right to health can be understood as a right to an effective and integrated health system, encompassing heath care and other determinants of health. The promotion and protection of the right to health is linked inextricably to the promotion and protection of other human rights such as the right to food, housing, education, and safe working conditions. The right to health is guaranteed under numerous United Nations documents including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).

HEALTH CARE MUST BE:

AVAILABLE - with governments setting up all the necessary health facilities throughout their territory. These facilities should be provided with water, electricity, trained personnel receiving domestically competitive salaries, and all the essential drugs to serve the entire population.

ACCESSIBLE - to everyone without discrimination. Health care must be economically affordable, physically accessible, and accessible to non-English speakers (including people who are deaf or hearing impaired). Health care should give individuals access to relevant information concerning health issues. 

ACCEPTABLE - requiring that health services are ethically and culturally appropriate, respectful of individuals, minorities, elderly people, and communities, and sensitive to gender and life-cycle requirements.

ADEQUATE - such that all health facilities, goods, and services are scientifically and medically appropriate and of good quality, with the necessary equipment, skilled medical personnel, potable water, adequate nutrition, and sanitation.¹