An individual’s right to health is protected by the State as the main guarantor of human rights.
The State has three types of obligations:
1. The obligation to respect the right to health
This means that the State should not violate or arbitrarily interfere with this right.
For example, the state should not:
- refuse medical help
- allow discrimination in the health care system
- withhold or provide incorrect health-related information
- limit access to contraceptives, etc.
2. The obligation to protect the right to health
This means that the State should prevent violations of an individual’s right to health by others.
To do this, the State:
- adopts relevant laws
- introduces complaint procedures
- checks the qualifications of medical personnel
- controls the quality and advertising of medical products, etc.
3. The obligation to fulfil the right to health
This requires the State to adopt a set of measures to ensure the realisation of this right. To do this, the State:
- prevents and controls diseases
- builds hospitals and clinics
- provides access to safe food, water and sanitation
- launches information campaigns about health (e.g., about vaccination, HIV/AIDS, alcohol and tobacco), etc.