What does it mean to believe that health is a human right?
The topic is controversial. Many would vehemently argue that health is not a right, but rather a privilege—an earned state of physical, mental and social excellence. Such is the belief that people are the prime controllers of their own health. It is hard for us, however, to entirely justify this perspective amid the enduring disparities that persist in cold reality.
Duke alum Dr. Paul Farmer once said, “For me, an area of moral clarity is: You’re in front of someone who’s suffering and you have the tools at your disposal to alleviate that suffering or even eradicate it, and you act.” Dr. Paul Farmer, who has also written extensively on health as a human right and a social justice paradigm for medicine, is an inspiration to many undergraduates at Duke and elsewhere. For many, his contributions to global health seem unattainable; little do we realize, however, that we just have to look in the mirror to discover the next Paul Farmer.
To what extent do we as Duke students believe in the right to health with the same indignation, fervor and intensity as Paul Farmer? Will we go to any length to sacrifice our own comfort for those whose voices are stifled? Are we empowered by DukeEngage or other fieldwork experiences to attempt to alleviate suffering and minimize health inequities in this world?
When we internalize the right to health as fundamentally necessary and summon the courage to act without reserve, we put principle into practice. This is the difference between an interest and a passion.
This week over 20 student organizations are collaborating to celebrate Duke’s fifth annual Global Health Week. On Friday at 5 p.m. in front of the Chapel, we will have an open mic rally to allow students to voice their views on health as a human right. Global Health Week has always aspired to raise awareness and foster spirit, but this year we especially hope to inspire action. Action through fieldwork, research and fundraising. Action requiring unseen levels of resistance against deep, widespread complications resulting from political and economic systems. Action epitomized by boldness, guts and will against seemingly insurmountable challenges.
Why? Because we must. Students must mobilize to fight against health inequities, and importantly, we have the power to do so. Where? One place to start is the current global health funding crisis.
Yesterday Laurie Garrett, senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations, gave a Global Health Week lecture discussing the future of global health policy and funding. The last decade has seen enormous investments in international initiatives through mechanisms such as the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. But waning commitments from donors, along with the financial crisis, have forced the Global Fund to cancel its next round of funding. President Obama’s FY 2013 budget proposal calls for a slight increase in funding to support the dying Global Fund—but only at the expense of cutting over $550 million from PEPFAR. Such a move is equally terrible. It makes no fiscal sense when global health is already only 0.25 percent of U.S. federal spending and when America allocates less than 1 percent of its entire annual budget to foreign aid. There should at least be maintenance of historical investment levels, given the unquestionable evidence of successful programs by PEPFAR and the Global Fund.
Cutting funding for global health will only unravel the progress that the world has achieved together. The White House and Congress have no excuse for ignoring this resoundingly bipartisan issue.
In response, several Duke students have been pushing the boundaries by calling political offices, signing petitions and lobbying on Capitol Hill. These efforts go beyond typical levels of student engagement and tackle pressing global health issues head-on. Our peers at Harvard, Yale and other institutions have been working in even larger numbers to support the Student Global AIDS Campaign.
Universities Allied for Essential Medicines—at Duke and nationally—has also proven for over a decade how students can stand up and influence the distribution of medical innovation. Just recently, students succeeded after years of work to convince the University of California system to prioritize global access licensing for medical research. In other words, drugs and technologies invented in these laboratories will be now accessible to millions of people in middle- and low-income countries.
But where are Duke laboratories and the administration in this fight? When will Duke be next?
Regardless of our professional aspirations, we as students should be advocates for change if we genuinely care about the health of society and the right to health for all. Studying in Perkins for a midterm is important, but advocating for health in some capacity should also be personally necessary.
We do not have to be doctors, policy-makers or other professionals to make a change. As students, we have no conflict of interest stopping us from fighting against health disparities—today. Let’s start making a systemic difference now.
Braveen Ragunanthan, Trinity ’12, is the undergraduate chair of the Duke Global Health Institute’s student council. Ruvi Chauhan, Pratt ’12, is the vice president of global health for the Duke Partnership for Service. This column is the 10th installment in a semester-long series of weekly columns written by dPS members addressing civic service and engagement at Duke. Follow dPS on Twitter @dukePS
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