Huge sums of money are spent annually to improve the health of vulnerable populations.  Yet, many of these people are unable to access the funded health  programs and other health services because of discrimination, inequality and inadequate infrastructure.  Outright discrimination or inadvertent neglect by doctors, government clinics, lawyers and policymakers, or even an uninformed media, prevent vulnerable groups from receiving the information and services they so desperately need. As a result, their serious physical and mental health problems go untreated.

Health as a Human Right

Health is more than healthcare.  It includes the social determinants of health.  Under international law, health is a right.  In terms of health care, governments must ensure that appropriate facilities and services are available to all residents.  These terms are defined as follows:

 Accessible:   Healthcare must be affordable for all patients. Distribution of services must be done without discrimination based upon race, gender, religion, legal status, ethnicity, sexual orientation, level of education, or insurance status. Services must be accessible in terms of facilities being located conveniently, and the payment system must be simple and straight-forward to use.

High quality:   Health services must meet all state and federal quality guidelines and other quantifiable measurements of care, but they must also include intangible components of quality such as the doctor-patient relationship and the ability of healthcare providers to relate to and communicate openly with patients.

Available:       There must be sufficient medical personnel and facilities to treat prevailing health problems.

Appropriate:    Health services must meet the physical, educational, mental, ethnic or cultural standards for the population served.