The next step is a constitutional right to health

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)