Most countries worldwide have committed themselves to providing adequate healthcare. These obligations are enshrined in international laws and regulations and are summarized under the right to health. This right stipulates that healthcare must be available, accessible, affordable, and of good quality for everyone.
However, many healthcare workers are unaware of how these principles relate to their patients’ rights. To address this, IFHHRO launched the Dignity at the Bedside Project, partially funded by the Knowledge Centre for Global Health (KCGH) in the Netherlands. Since early 2022, IFHHRO has been part of this knowledge center as one of its working groups.
Aim of the project is to develop resources for healthcare providers to assess whether their work environment aligns with internationally recognized standards of the right to health.
Right to Health Checklist & E-Learning
An extensive web search conducted in December 2021 revealed that no accessible tool for healthcare workers yet existed. In response, IFHHRO developed the Right to Health Checklist.
The checklist is based on the Human Rights Framework (AAAQ Framework), where the three A’s stand for availability, accessibility, and affordability, and the Q for quality. It consists of a concise set of questions designed to help healthcare professionals evaluate the quality of care in their own (clinical) practice.
Before using the checklist, we recommend completing our e-learning module, The Right to Health Made Workable for Health Professionals.
Second Phase
In the second phase of the project, we reached out to potential partners to gather feedback on the draft tools and explore their interest in promoting them among healthcare providers globally. We also conducted field tests of the checklist in various healthcare institutions, both in the Netherlands and abroad. Currently, we are investigating the possibility of conducting an impact study in collaboration with a university or research institution.
If you are interested in collaborating with us during this phase, please do not hesitate to contact us!