UN human rights office, WHO urge govt's to ensure equitable access to healthcare services

The UN human rights office and the World Health Organization (WHO) urged governments worldwide on Monday to ensure equitable access to healthcare services.

During a high-level dialogue on realizing the right to health in a world in turmoil, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk discussed protecting the human right to health amidst increasing global turmoil.

They underlined that such access should be established "in war, in communities ravaged by climate change, and for the most vulnerable populations."

For his part, Turk recommended scheduling a strategic dialogue meeting between the two organizations to further discuss areas of cooperation and renew their Memorandum of Understanding, underlining the interlink between human rights and health sectors.

The event was also attended by many human rights defenders, policy makers, health workers and other stakeholders.