The right Vs. The Access

Health started to be promoted as a human right in 1997 by the United Nations and later on in 2005 member countries of United Nations decided in unanimous to integrate human rights in their national policies. As well as World health organization World health organization also was recommending health as part of human rights. Local governments took also initiatives by offering universal health coverage (the example of Spain that later on in 2012 due to economic crisis restricted the offered services to a group of population), by laws that offered health care to people with social disadvantages and coming from marginalized groups of the society (minorities, disabled people, unemployed, etc). In Albania the law nr.8626 about “The status of paraplegic and tetraplegic people” approved by the parliament in 22/06/2000 mentions that physical disabled people have the right to have free access to health care and also free medicaments.

But why is needed free universal health care when it is not accessible???

World Health Organization estimates that a billion people, 15% of the word population have some form of disability. Also it is seen that people with disabilities have less access to health care services and therefore experience unmet health care needs. People with disabilities report seeking more health care than people without disabilities and have greater unmet needs. For example, a recent survey of people with serious mental disorders, showed that between 35% and 50% of people in developed countries, and between 76% and 85% in developing countries, received no treatment in the year prior to the study. Health promotion and prevention activities seldom target people with disabilities. For example women with disabilities receive less screening for breast and cervical cancer than women without disabilities. People with intellectual impairments and diabetes are less likely to have their weight checked. Adolescents and adults with disabilities are more likely to be excluded from sex education programs.

At the moment in Albania the total of people with disabilities is 75,044, but this number includes only those who are considered as subject of payment of allowances. The real number might be significantly higher. Albania has a disability legal frame, and all the disabled people have the same rights (education, employment, health) and freedom as others citizens (Article 25 of the Constitution of Albania), but there is still a lot do in terms of their implementing. Regarding the employment situation, the Labor Code prohibits any kind of discrimination and the working hours are reduced to 6 hours per day. Theoretically out of 25 employees, one should be a person with disabilities. Unfortunately this law had been poorly implemented. Regarding the education - many structures are inaccessible, thus teaching staff has no special education on disability.

In Albania, being a person with physical disability means a condition without hope associated with discrimination. Prejudices against disabled people are still strong and discriminating. Moreover, most of the disabled people are poor and have small access to health service. Disabled people face uneven access to buildings (hospitals, health centres), inaccessible medical equipment, poor signage, narrow doorways, internal steps, inadequate bathroom facilities, and inaccessible parking areas create barriers to health care facilities.


Why does a disabled person need free health care when he cannot get in the bus to go to the hospital? Why does a disabled person need free health care when he cannot enter in the health care center due to physical barriers?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIEbdoiQ2N0#

This video was made by 2 volunteers in Tirana, Albania

Even though health is promoted as a human right and international organisms are undertaking initiatives to integrate “Health in all policies” (lately WHO published Health in all policies manual http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/151788/1/9789241507981_eng.pdf) some countries have basic barriers in accessing health services. It is not needed to have free health care but accessible health care. The objectives of health system managers should be orientated in making the services the offer accessible for all the population.

E. Tresa