Assessment of the Right to Health and Health Care at the Country Level, The

Published by the People's Health Movement (PHM) and patterned after the Health Rights of Women Assessment Instrument (HeRWAI ) developed by the Dutch non-governmental organisation (NGO) HOM (Humanist Committee on Human Rights), this resource aims to help local NGOs to evaluate the status of the right to health (care) in their country.

Though the resource was mainly created for the organisations participating in the "Right to Health and Health Care Campaign (RTHHC)" (now called the "Right to Health Care Campaign") coordinated by PHM, it may be useful to others as well. The main focus of the assessment outlined in this document is on government responsibilities. The purpose of the assessment is to get a country diagnosis of how the right to health and health care is being upheld for economically poor and marginalised populations in a particular country. The resulting diagnosis could be used to develop policy demands to be presented at national and international levels during the latter stages of a health campaign.

The five questions identified and explored within this resource are:

1. What are your government's commitments?
2. Are your government's policies appropriate to fulfil these obligations?
3. Is the health system of your country adequately implementing interventions to realise the right to health and health care for all?
4. Does the health status of different social groups and the population as a whole reflect a progression in their right to health and health care?
5. What does the denial or fulfilment of the Right to Health in your country mean in practice?