State Obligation towards the Fulfillment of the Right to Health: A Study in Bangladesh Perspective

Abstract

Sound growth of a human being pivots around his sound health required not only for a human being himself, but also for the entire society and thus the State itself. It is one of Economic, Social and Cultural rights otherwise conceded as basic need which a State is legally committed to ensure its citizens. In addition to international obligation, there are around 45 domestic laws in force in Bangladesh providing for health in any way or the other and to serve the purpose, and the government accordingly takes various steps expected to be duly targeted to place the people in the position to have an affordable and easy access to the health service. But uncertainty in authoritatively determining the concrete elements of health, insufficiency of the health facilities and budget allocation for health service, non-accountability of health professionals, corruption, profit motivated health care service, lack of political will and mass-participation in the health administration, preference of unproductive sector, and extreme difference in terms of economic status are inter alia the key factors to narrow it down to the extent enough to leave the commitment amounting to obligation on the part of the State and the expectation to right possessed by the people to remain a mere rhetoric.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n13p73