The Health department is committed to the protection of the citizens’ right to health, according to a statement issued by the Health Minister Veena George on the occasion of World Health Day on Sunday.
The theme of World Health Day this year is My Health, My Right.
Among the steps taken by the State to protect the citizens’ right to good health, the Kerala Public Health Act, the Kerala State Medical Practitioners Act, 2021 and Kerala Epidemic Diseases Act ranks right on top, according to Ms. George.
Health centres should take all steps to ensure that no patient who comes through the doors of the healthcare institution are discriminated against and that their health rights are protected, she said.
The State government has also taken all measures to protect the rights of health workers by ensuring them safe working places through the strengthening of the law that protects health workers from violence at hospitals and the implementation of Code Grey protocols, Ms. George added.
On World Health Day, the World Health Organisation reminds everyone that around the world, the right to health of millions is increasingly coming under threat and that diseases, disasters and conflicts are devastating lives, causing death, pain, hunger and psychological distress.
The burning of fossil fuels is simultaneously driving the climate crisis and taking away people’s right to breathe clean air. The WHO council on the Economics of Health for All reports that though at least 140 countries have recognised health as a human right in their Constitution, many countries have not passed and put into practice, laws that ensure their citizens’ right to access health services.
According to the WHO, this year’s theme was chosen to champion the right of everyone, everywhere to have access to quality health services, education, and information, as well as safe drinking water, clean air, good nutrition, quality housing, decent working and environmental conditions, and freedom from discrimination.
The World Health Day is also an occasion to remember that the right to health of marginalised communities, women, elderly, the disabled, and children deserve to be protected, Ms. George said in her statement.
