Thread by @MalecheAllan

The right to health must guide responses to #COVID19 pleased to contribute to this @TheLancet 📰 bit.ly/36HfPUa jointly with @Judith_Mesquita
@BenjaminMMeier @DainiusPuras & Luis Cabal @UNAIDS 🧵thread on key points @AE_Yamin @saralmdavis @mbachelet @ASteiner @DrTedros

1. #HumanRights scrutiny in the #COVID19 pandemic has largely focused on limitations of individual freedoms to protect public health,yet it is essential to look at the broader relevance of realising human rights to promote public health in the COVID-19 response. @DrMercyKorir

2.The right to health requires that health goods,services, & facilities are available in adequate numbers;accessible on a financial,geographical,& non-discriminatory basis; acceptable,including culturally appropriate & respectful of gender& medical ethics;& of good quality @P4HR

3.Many states have faced difficulties in ensuring the availability & accessibility of COVID-19-related health coverage,leading to shortages in essential medical care, including diagnostic tests,ventilators,& oxygen,& in #PPE for #HealthcareHeroes & other front-line staff @WHO

4.Implementation of the right to health through #healthsystems requires that treatment is based on medical evidence;that testing & care are not withheld on the basis of disability,age,or inability to pay & that states devote maximum resources to health care & recovery @MOH_Kenya

5. In providing this care in the context of #COVID19 these emergency responses must guard against interruptions to other essential healthcare services,including #SRHRcare, #ARVs for #PLHIV,immunisation campaigns& community-based care &support,including mental health care @annesoy

6. Even as states limit individual freedoms to address this public health emergency assuring that such limitations are reasonable,proportionate,non-discriminatory,& grounded in law. It is crucial to consider the population-level impacts of the disease. @PaulHuntSRights @nemowere

7.Special attention has to be given to the disproportionate risks faced by marginalised & disadvantaged populations.
Lessons from the HIV response highlight the importance of engaging & prioritising & not further marginalising these populations in disease prevention responses.

8.Beyond the #healthsystem,social determinants of health, including adequate housing, safe drinking water & sanitation,food, social security,& protection from violence, are central elements of the right to health & protected under international law as interconnected rights

9. Physical distancing measures impact these fundamental rights,with inequalities in social determinants translating into differentiated risks of infection & death. As seen in the HIV response,marginalised & disadvantaged populations are among those most at risk. They include

10.Women,children,racial &ethnic minorities,LGBTQ people,refugees,migrants,displaced persons,people with disabilities,older persons,incarcerated populations,people who use drugs, pple with #TB & those living in poverty,working in the informal sector,or lacking stable housing

11.The #COVID19 pandemic has been exacerbated by human rights failures,yet the right to health can provide a framework for assuring that the COVID-19 response serves to realise the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health for all.