The next step is a constitutional right to health

  • IASbaba
  • October 15, 2021
  • 0
UPSC Articles

HEALTH/ GOVERNANCE

  • GS-2: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health.

The next step is a constitutional right to health

Context: Pandemic has exposed and aggravated the cracks in our health-care systems and given life to the demand for the constitutional ‘Right to Health for all’.

Importance of Right to Health

  • A constitutional ‘Right to Health’ will transform not only the health and well-being of people but will act as a leap for the economic and developmental progress of the nation.
  • The vision for Ayushman Bharat will be strengthened with a constitutional ‘Right to Health’. 
  • The immediate financial security that will come with the constitutional ‘Right to Health’ will be seen as a measurable impact on family savings, greater investment, and jobs creation on the one hand, and in the long-term emotional, psychological and social security of people.

Importance of ‘Right to Health’ for children

  • A large number of children who belong to the poorest and most marginalised communities of our country grow up working in hazardous situations be it fields, mines, brick kilns or factories
  • When rescued, these children are ridden with complex health impacts of working — primarily tuberculosis, skin diseases, eyesight impairment, and malnutrition, besides the substantial mental health impact. 
  • These children have been denied a safety net of early childhood care and protection, the consequences of which are felt for a lifetime. 
  • The ‘Right to Health’ will help transition the children in exploitative conditions into a safer future.

Conclusion

  • The right to free and compulsory education was arguably one of the most valuable legacies of the decade of 2000s.
  • A constitutional amendment to introduce the ‘Right to Health for India’ can be the legacy of this decade.

Connecting the dots:

  • Right to Education
  • Right to Food (National Food Security Act)
  • Right to Information
  • Right to work (MGNREGA)

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