‘Health Is A Right Of The People And A Responsibility Of Government,’ Says PAHO Director

Health is a human right, and it is governments’ responsibility to ensure that right, said the Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), during the closing session of the Global Conference on Primary Health Care in Astana, Kazakhstan.“Health is not a privilege, nor a commodity. It is a fundamental human right,” said director adding that “national governments must lead and own national processes towards universal health, in coordination with partners.”  The Global Conference on Primary Health Care, held October 25-26, was organized by the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and the Government of Kazakhstan and was attended by representatives of governments, nongovernmental organizations, international agencies, academic institutions and youth organizations.

“We know what works and what we need to do,” he said, referring to what is known as the Primary Health Care (PHC)…