While it is true that there is disparity in the level of care or access to care in developing

countries (Evans, Hall, & Warford, 1981), this does not support why healthcare should not be a

right. For example, according to the International Bill of Human Rights, Article 23, Sec 1 that

everyone has the right to work (United Nations General Assembly, 1948), but this does not mean

that the state shall be obliged to give you work, however, the state since it acknowledges that this

is a citizen’s right, the state shall provide job opportunities for you to choose from. In the same

way, if healthcare is a right, this does not mean that the state shall be obliged to give your health

care, much more pay for it, However, since it acknowledges that this is a citizen’s right, the state

shall provide healthcare access for you to choose from. In some way, this reflects that the certain

capacity of the state to deliver healthcare and access to healthcare.

The disparity is caused by the lack of political commitment to health programs (Evans et

al., 1981; Starfield, 2011). Starfield (2011), further claims that policies to distribute resources

equitably is critical because good healthcare systems depends on these specific policies. Now

this will support my argument, that if healthcare is not a right, the political commitment will lose

its traction to push healthcare as a priority to the citizens of the state just by simply

acknowledging that healthcare is not a citizen’s right. However, if healthcare is considered as a

right, the state will become responsible and accountable to provide such standards of

healthcare to improve the health status of the people (Peer, 2013). Furthermore, I agree with you

that healthcare is a shared responsibility in which collaboration of the people in the healthcare

system will bring about positive change.

References

Evans, J. R., Hall, K. L., & Warford, J. (1981). Health Care in the Developing World: Problems

of Scarcity and Choice. New England Journal of Medicine, 305(19), 1117–1127.

 https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM198111053051904

Peer, R. F. (2013). Right to healthcare: the way forward. Journal of Family Medicine and

Primary Care, 2(1), 4–8. https://doi.org/10.4103/2249-4863.109929

Starfield, B. (2011). Politics, primary healthcare and health: Was Virchow right? Journal of

Epidemiology and Community Health. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech.2009.102780

United Nations General Assembly. (1948). The International Bill of Human Rights. United

Nations, 470.