HEALTH AND HUMAN-RIGHTS - THE CHALLENGE FOR DEVELOPING-COUNTRIES

What are the priorities when it comes to health and human rights? This article is subtended by the following principle, i.e. issues of healt h and human rights must be considered from different angles in industr ial countries and developing countries. Indeed, the subjects that preo ccupy the countries of the North,' such as the ethics of mandatory scr eening, assisted insemination, and euthanasia, to name a few, are of o nly marginal importance in the 'South.' The exception is the very spec ific case of health services' involvement in the organization of tortu re, which is common to North and South. Geographical, economic and cul tural barriers have been lowered or removed in most industrialized cou ntries and using effective, good-quality services has become a right f or the overwhelming majority of their citizens. Priority in the develo ping countries continues to be given above all to improving the qualit y and effectiveness of health services and making them accessible to t he greatest number of people. This article starts with a brief histori cal overview of the development of the 'health and human rights' conce pt. The body of the paper will then be devoted to an analysis of const raints and identification of the solutions that will allow health to b ecome a real 'human right' for the people of developing countries. Hea lth as a human right is the challenge for developing countries.