The right to health: then, now and in the future

Jennifer Sellin, Brigit Toebes

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterAcademic

Abstract

The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic posed a global threat to the universal enjoyment of the right to health. It exacerbated existing vulnerabilities, while also creating new vulnerabilities. In line with the principle of ‘building back better’ this chapter analyses the right to health in light of the COVID-19 crisis. The right to health mandates a rights-based approach to health emergencies. What lessons can be drawn from the COVID-19 pandemic to inform such a rights-based approach to health in times of crises? The analysis in this chapter is limited to two main focal points: first, the pandemic’s impact on vulnerable communities and the widening inequality gap; and, second, the role of private actors, in particular pharmaceutical and biomedical companies, in combatting the pandemic and the existing accountability gap in that respect.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationSocio-Economic Rights, Inequalities and Vulnerability in Times of Crises: Building Back Better
EditorsAndrea Broderick, Jennifer Sellin
Place of PublicationCheltenham
PublisherEdward Elgar Publishing
Chapter5
Pages96-120
Number of pages25
ISBN (Electronic)9781035306657
ISBN (Print)9781035306640
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 13 Dec 2024

Publication series

SeriesThe Association of Human Rights Institutes series

Keywords

  • in)equality
  • accountability
  • health emergencies
  • pharmaceutical and biomedical companies
  • right to health

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