Mikhail Nasimov

The Declaration of Alma-Ata

1) The Declaration of Alma-Ata begins by stating that health, "… is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, is a fundamental human right and that the attainment of the highest possible level of health is a most important world-wide social goal . . . " It goes on to call for all governments, regardless of politics and conflicts, to work together toward global health. I agree with these principles, albeit I was not aware of this document, until now, that called for an international effort to promote global health care for all.

2) Those who signed the Declaration of Alma-Ata hoped that it would be the first step toward achieving health for all by the year 2000. Although that goal was not achieved by the year 2000, nevertheless, the Declaration of Alma-Ata helped to entrench the idea of health care as a human right and still stands as an outline for the future of global healthcare.

3) The right to health is a fundamental part of our human rights and of our understanding of a life in dignity. The Declaration of Alma-Ata states that “the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition.” In other words: everyone should have access to healthcare as it is a human right and the right thing to do.

4) While I strongly believe that the right to healthcare is a basic human right, I do believe that there should be limits placed on healthcare services so as not to overwhelm the system. The details as to how exactly healthcare services should be managed is a complex issue, and in my opinion, should vary based on the health needs of a particular patient.

5) The Declaration of Alma-Ata states the following:

All governments should formulate national policies, strategies and plans of action to launch and sustain primary health care as part of a comprehensive national health system and in coordination with other sectors. To this end, it will be necessary to exercise political will, to mobilize the country's resources and to use available external resources rationally.

According to the above statement, it is the responsibility of the government to formulate policies and utilize its resources (money) toward healthcare services. I believe that the government should pay for all healthcare related resources until the predetermined limit is reached; after that, the patient or next of kin should pay the remaining expenses.