The Right to Health Protection

1. TheRight to HealthProtection

2. Art. 1º All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood - Universal Declaration of Human Rights

3. Art. 25º Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control - Universal Declaration of Human Rights

4. VS

5. Art. 64º 1.º Everyone shall possess the right to health protection and the duty to defend and promotehealth. 2.º The right to health protection shall be fulfilled: a) By means of a national health service that shall be universal and general and, with particular regard to the economic and social conditions of the citizens who use it, shall tend to be free of charge;

6. b) By creating economic, social, cultural and environmental conditions that particularly guarantee the protection of childhood, youth and old age; by systematically improving living and working conditions and also promoting physical fitness and sport at school and among the people; and by developing both the people’s health and hygiene education and healthy living practises;

7. 3.º In order to ensure enjoyment of the right to the protection of health, the state shall be under a primaryduty: a) To guarantee access by every citizen, regardless of his economic situation, to preventive, curativeandrehabilitativemedicalcare; b) To guarantee a rational and efficient nationwide coverage in terms of healthcare units andhumanresources; c) To work towards the public funding of the costs of medical care and medicines;

8. d) To regulate and inspect corporate and private forms of medicine and articulate them with the national health service, in such a way as to ensure adequate standards of efficiency and quality in both public and private healthcare institutions; e) To regulate and control the production, distribution, marketing, sale and use of chemical, biological and pharmaceutical products and other means of treatment and diagnosis;

9. f) To establish policies for the prevention and treatment of drug abuse. 4.º The national health service shall possess a decentralised and participatory managementsystem. - Constitution of the Portuguese Republic

10. Perspectives onright to healthprotection • Negative perspective consists in giving the citizens the right to demand that anyone (including the State) doesn’t prejudice their health. • Positive perspective consists in the citizens right to demand from the State the necessary provisions to insure health and diseases.

11. PT healthcaresystems NHS PublicandPrivateSubsystems PrivateVoluntaryHealthInsurances

13. Expenditure on Health

14. Problems High use of hospital emergencydeparments; Longwaitinglists for surgicalprocedures; Mixedevidenceaboutsatisfactionofconsumers and professionals about public services; Major increase in health expenditure and difficulties with costs control; Increased demand for health care from vulnerable groups; Difficulty in reducing mortality due to traffic accidents and life-style related diseases.

15. Barriers to access to primaryhealthcare Limitedsupplyof services Geographical areas limitations Opening times Excessive cost/Unaffordability of services Lack of information Higher use of hospital emergencydepartments

16. Waiting Lists Isthecapacitysufficient to meet current needs?

18. Responsiveness? Dignity Autonomy Confidenciality

20. Satisfaction Physicians Nurses Pharmaceuticals

23. US healthcaresystem PrivateInsurances Publicprograms: Medicare, Medicaid, TheChildren’sHealthInsuranceProgram

24. HealthExpenditure

26. Sourcesofpayment for healthcare

27. Does the US recognizetheHumanRight to HealthCare? No. The US as failed to recognize a universal humanright to healthcareprotectionon a nationallevel, andhasnotevenadoptednationalprinciplesthatwoulddistinguishthehumanrightsandpublichealthgoalsofhealthfromthepursuitofprofits. Thisfailureisreflectedin a healthcarefinancingsystemthatleaves 47 millionpeoplewithoutanyhealthinsurance.

28. Canthe US afford Universal HealthCare? Yes. The US isalreadytheworld’sbiggesthealthcarespender. A shift to a universal coverageand a singlepayersystemwouldsaveinadministrativecosts (10% ofhealthcarespending) anditwouldbe more thanenoutgh to offset the universal coverage. Itwouldnotrequiredecreasingthequality, insteaditwouldredirecthealthcarespentonwastefuladministrativecostsbyinsurancecompaniesandadvertisingbypharmaceuticalcompanies, as well as eliminatingunjustifiedandexcessiveprivate sector profits.

29. Obstacles to Achieving Universal QualityCare Lackof a nationalhealthcareplan Sharing ofcostsandbenefits

31. Thehumanright to healthguaranteesthecreationofconditionswhichwouldassure to allmedicalserviceandmedicalattentionintheeventofsickness. InternationalCovenantonEconomic, Social and Cultural Rights (art. 12º) Carla Costa 2334