Palliative care as an international human right

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Human Rights Law
• Palliative Care

Background:

• Significant global disparities exist in palliative care access and provision.
• The concept of palliative care as a human right has gained prominence in recent advocacy.
• Existing international frameworks may not explicitly address palliative care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the legal foundation for asserting palliative care as a human right.
• To analyze the strengths and weaknesses of this assertion within international human rights law.
• To discuss the implications for governmental obligations.

Main Methods:

• Legal analysis of international human rights treaties and conventions.
• Examination of scholarly and advocacy literature on palliative care and human rights.
• Comparative review of national policies and legal interpretations.

Main Results:

• International human rights law provides a potential framework for palliative care rights.
• The assertion of palliative care as a human right faces legal and practical challenges.
• Governments have correlative obligations to ensure access to palliative care.

Conclusions:

• Palliative care can be grounded in existing international human rights principles.
• Further development of legal and policy mechanisms is needed to operationalize this right.
• Recognizing palliative care as a human right necessitates clear governmental action and accountability.