The Right to Health (Parts I & II)

Health in Harmony shares this two-part series exploring the right to health and how it relates to the group’s mission. Health in Harmony and its Indonesian partner organization Alam Sehat Lestari (ASRI) work at the intersection of human health and environmental conservation in West Kalimantan. ASRI runs community-guided medical and conservation programs that work in harmony to create a healthier planet for people, animals, and the environment.

In Part I, the concept of a right to health is explored:

Access to health care – both through services and institutions – is a fundamental human right. We all recognize and understand that. However, the right to health includes more than just the right to see a doctor in a hospital. It extends to the underlying determinants of health – those factors that decide whether it is even possible to be healthy where we live – and contains certain freedoms and entitlements.

In Part II, the right to health is considered in the context of tin mining in Bangka-Belitung (Babel), an island province located on the east of Sumatra:

Mining in Babel violates the right to health by reducing healthy environmental conditions as well as access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation. Abandoned mines cover approximately 1,053,253.19 hectares or 64.12% of the land in Babel.

You can access the full articles through the Health for Harmony site: Part I and Part II.