primary health care, and specific measures to ensure coverage of all age
groups including in particular in marginalised urban and rural areas.
g.
Set a target of allocating at least 15% of their annual budget to the improvement of
the health sector. An appropriate and adequate portion of this amount must be put
at the disposal of the national authorities responsible for the fight against malaria,
HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and other related diseases.
h.
Ensure that plans aim to ensure access for all to adequate medical care and
treatment in the event of sickness or accident.
i.
Ensure that national plans and policies are designed to ensure that health systems
are able to deal with an individual’s health holistically by addressing all aspects
that may affect his/her health.
j.
Ensure that National Poverty Reduction Strategies, where applicable, include
specific plans to realise the right to health. The right to health should be
incorporated into development plans, which be based on health, social and
environment impact assessments.
k.
Ensure that accountability is a central feature of the right to health and requires the
incorporation and implementation of appropriate processes and mechanisms into
all health policies.
l.
Ensure that all plans and policies, including particularly the local level, are
developed and implemented in a transparent and participatory manner without
discrimination to maximise community input. Consequently, plans should be aimed
at improving the ability of health services to meet the needs of the population,
through improvement of delivery of medicines, and other materials used in the
prevention or treatment of diseases as well as improving laboratory facilities.
m.
Ensure education and access to information through mass media in local
languages concerning the main health problems in the community, including
methods of preventing and controlling them.
n.
Ensure that national plans should be designed to reflect a human rights approach
to health indicators. They should also include an effective and accessible
monitoring and accountability system.
o.
Ensure that the implementation of national health plans delivers continual
improvement in the conditions of service for medical staff to ensure adequately
staffed health facilities, to prevent brain drain and the improvement of national
health infrastructure.
p.
Ensure that privatisation of the health sector does not constitute a threat to the
availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality of health facilities, goods and
services.
q.
Ensure that national development plans and programmes are designed towards
the realisation of a healthy environment that is conducive to the right to health, for
example in matters relating to water resources management and sanitation.
25