With recent events coming to light about the topic -- Luigi the "martyr" and RFK's Congress hearing -- the question has become quite relevant: is healthcare a human right? Let's delve into the matter a bit...
(For a bit of perspective, I am a Canadian who partakes in the public healthcare system. Obviously anyone's opinion on the matter will be bias, but just want to give some insight on it)
By definition, a human right is a fundamental pillar of our human existence. They are universal and pertain to everybody, regardless of where they are in the world. Some examples are: born free from slavery or persecution, equal in the eyes of the law, equal treatment regardless of sex, religion, etc. They are basically rights that ensure our safety on this earth.
So, the quick answer is no; healthcare is not a right. Rather, it is a privilege. Let us go further...
If someone wanted to play devil's advocate, obviously they could argue that by association, healthcare is a right to life. But that logic only opens more doors, pokes holes in the concept. The ones responsible for ensuring that person's good health are not the ones responsible for their current predicament (or, at least, I would hope not! 😅). The doctors were not responsible for the patient's food choices, or their chain smoking, or their car accident, or their genetic illness.
Simply put, healthcare is not responsible for the hand we are dealt in life.
Secondly, nobody just has the "right" to a medical team. One is not just given access to a doctor, who has spent a decade of their life and thousands of dollars on medical school, simply because they are a human being.
Again, this is why healthcare is a privilege -- a privilege that I recognize and am extremely grateful for each day. It is a privilege to: be in a country with the education and resources, have the medical equipment, have the money to access it, etc.
Doctors undertake the Hippocratic oath, that they will never deny a person their medical training, and again, thank God that they do! But beyond that, there is much privilege that surrounds the subject.
The healthcare system is a double-edged sword, and we all know it. Even when we try to make it a universal right, it does not work because humans are not equal in circumstance. For example, people may feel more inclined to help the terminally-ill child who had no control in their situation vs. the grown adult who consciously chose to chain smoke and develop cancer.
(Image created using an AI art generator on Night Cafe)
There are some people who believe everybody should be given care, there are some who believe there are exceptional cases, and there are those who believe everyone should fend for themselves. And again, I think it primarily comes down to the fact that human beings can never be equal in circumstance.