HEALTH AND HUMAN RIGHTS

subject: cultural health and society.

vertex college of Nursing abbotttabd.
Semester:6th
By
Athar.Ali
 Objectives
At the end of this unit learners will be able to:
 Define Human Rights
 Recognize basic human rights
 Discuss the importance of human rights
 Conceptualize a rights based approach to health
 Identify nurses role in client centered health care
approach
 Human Rights
Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings,
whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex,
national or ethnic origin, color, religion, language, or
any other status. We are all equally entitled to our
human rights without discrimination. These rights
are all interrelated, interdependent and indivisible.
 Human Rights
Human rights are traditionally categorized in the following five
types
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Interrelatedness
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Cultural Rights
 Civil and Political Rights

Civil Rights Political Rights

Civil rights deal with standards of judiciary and penal

systems.
Political rights deal with specific components of
participation in political power.
These rights are often focused on when one talks about
human rights.
 The neglected half of Human Rights
Economic Rights deal with the sphere of human beings
working, producing and servicing.
Social Rights deal with standard of living and quality of life
for all persons, including those not participating in economic
activities.
Cultural Rights deal with the cultural sphere of life including
ethnic culture, subcultures, arts and science.

Economic Rights

Social Rights Cultural Rights

 International Bill of Rights

 The right to equality and freedom from discrimination.

 The right to life, liberty, and personal security.
 Freedom from torture and degrading treatment.
 The right to equality before the law.
 The right to a fair trial.
 The right to privacy.
 Freedom of belief and religion.
 Freedom of opinion.
 Health And Human Rights(WHO)
The WHO Constitution protect“…the highest attainable
standard of health as a fundamental right of every human
being.”The right to health includes access to timely,
acceptable, and affordable health care of appropriate quality.
The right to health includes both freedoms and entitlements.
Freedoms
 Include the right to control one’s health and body and to be
free from interference.
Entitlements 
Include the right to a system of health protection that gives
everyone an equal opportunity to enjoy the highest
attainable level of health
 According to WHO some standard and principal regarding
health and human rights are:
Universal Access:
 Access to health care must be universal, guaranteed for all
on an equitable basis. Health care must be affordable and
comprehensive for everyone, and physically accessible
where and when needed.
Availability:
Adequate health care infrastructure (e.g. hospitals,
community health facilities, trained health care
professionals), goods (e.g. drugs, equipment), and services
(e.g. primary care, mental health) must be available in all
geographical areas and to all communities.
Acceptability and Dignity:
Health care institutions and providers must respect dignity,
provide culturally appropriate care, be responsive to needs
based on gender, age, culture, language, and different ways
of life and abilities. They must respect medical ethics and
protect confidentiality.
Non-Discrimination:
Health care must be accessible and provided without
discrimination based on health status, race, ethnicity, age,
sex, sexuality, disability, language, religion, national origin,
income, or social status.
Quality:
All health care must be medically appropriate and of good
quality, guided by quality standards and control mechanisms,
and provided in a timely, safe, and patient-centered manner.
Transparency:
Health information must be easily accessible for everyone,
enabling people to protect their health and claim quality
health services. Institutions that organize, finance or deliver
health care must operate in a transparent way.
Participation:
Individuals and communities must be able to take an active
role in decisions that affect their health, including in the
organization and implementation of health care services.
Accountability:
Private companies and public agencies must be held
accountable for protecting the right to health care through
enforceable standards, regulations, and independent
compliance monitoring.
 Importance Of Human Rights
Human Rights are important because
 We all matter.
 We all deserve respect.
 They provide a framework for our everyday stories to create a
real change.
 Without them our freedom is diminished.
 You can be you with them.
 With them our world is a better place.
 It is Something which enhance us.
 Human beings and Human rights are always linked to each
other, for better living conditions.
 Without human rights it will be difficult to survive.
Basically Human rights mean that this power is limited.
•They cannot be taken away.
•They are for everyone.
•They are protected by law
Freedom of association, assembly and movement. The right
to seek and enjoy asylum .The right to a nationality , Freedom
of thought, sense of right and wrong and religion. The right to
vote and take part in government. The right to fair working
conditions. The right to adequate food, shelter, clothing and
social security. The right to health. The right to education. The
right to property. The right to participate in cultural life. The
right to development. Freedom from torture and cruel,
inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
 When can rights be restricted?
It is not the norm for rights to be limited but the exception. They can
only be limited if the following criteria are met:

1. The restriction must be allowed for in law

2. The restriction must respond to a pressing public or social need
3. The restriction is strictly necessary in a democratic society to achieve
the public/social need
4. The restriction is based on scientific evidence and not imposed
arbitrarily otherwise it is an unreasonable or discriminatory
approach.
Any restriction must be of a limited duration, respectful of human
dignity, and subject to review

14
 Formal state obligations for each human right
Obligation Meaning
Respect The state must not interfere directly with
people realising their rights
Protect The state must stop others from interfering with
people’s rights
Fulfil The state must build the legislation, institutions,
norms to realise the right
Non The state must not discriminate in meeting its
discrimination obligations
Adequate progress Progress must occur at a rate that show
commitment
Participation People must be able to participate in realising their
rights
Effective remedy There must be a remedy for violations of
obligations
 Nurses Role In Client Centered Health Care
Approach
A Client- centered approach to nursing focuses on the
individual's personal needs, wants, desires and goals
so that they become central to the care and nursing
process. knowing the patient as an individual, being
responsive, providing care that is meaningful. ‘the
term client -centered care is used to indicate a strong
interest in the patient’s own experience of health,
illness, injury or need.
 3-finding Common Ground
• Mutual definition of the problem and priorities.

• Mutual definition of the goal of management/treatment.

• Mutual exploring of the roles to be assumed by the

patient and the nurse in the management
 5-Enhancing the patient-Nurse
relationship
 Characteristic of the therapeutic relationship.
 Each encounter with patient should be used to develop the
Nurse-patient relationship.
 Caring and healing approach.
 Transference and counter transference
 To develop trust and Respect.
 Sharing power
 Self awareness
 6)Being realistic
• Through out the process nurse have to be realistic
in terms of time ,availability of resources, and the
amount of emotional and physical energy needed
Time: Manage time efficiently for maximum benefit
for patient.
Resources: Develop skills of priority
setting ,Resource allocation.
Team building : Nurse must respect their own limits
of emotional energy.