|
Back to Index
This article participates on the following special index pages:
New Constitution-making process - Index of articles
Statement
on the Bill of Rights in the new constitution
Students and Youth Working on Reproductive Health Action Team
(SAYWHAT)
March 03, 2010
The Students And Youths
Working on reproductive Health Action Team (SAYWHAT) notes with
concern the potential relegation (once again) of health by our preoccupation
on issues of governance and other freedoms that broadly relates
to expression, association and political rights.
SAYWHAT has expressed
concern in various forums over the exclusion of the right to health
in the current constitution, instead the right remains implied under
the right to life making it subject to interpretation and therefore
impossible to claim and make it a responsibility of the state.
As students we realize
the need to explicitly guarantee the right to health care services,
including reproductive health care.
This provides the platform
and bases for individuals to claim their health as a right and assign
responsibility to the state and government to ensure that everyone
has access to such. We recognize that health including reproductive
health forms the backbone to all other developmental facets of a
progressive nation.
Drawing from the experiences
of other countries such a provision in the constitution has ensured
accountability and empowered citizens who monitor budgets and track
resources that are allocated and eventually committed to health
services.
Simply, the right to
health ensures the provision of accurate information on disease
prevention and management including HIV whose prevalence remains
highest amongst the youths-the biggest resource of our country.
The right also ensures that there is access to essential health
services including drugs such as ARVs.
As students, we would
not want outbreaks of STIs for these are preventable, we would want
to graduate alive, either HIV negative or living positive with access
to drugs and other essential services.
SAYWHAT calls
students, youths, youth serving organizations and the general public
to ensure that amongst their input in the new constitution the right
to health should be amongst the priorities.
Visit the SAYWHAT
fact
sheet
Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
TOP
|
