Book Review - The accessibility of a reference book and the urgency of a manifesto

Realizing the Right to Health edited by Andrew Clapham and Mary Robinson, Claire Mahon and Scott Jerbi

23 August 2009: Heather Budge-Reid

Link to the online version of the book (pdf chapters).

Some books are meant to be things of beauty and this is one of them, but it is also an accessible, interesting, stimulating and useful read that covers the breadth and depth of the subject with an ease that is often missing. Particularly beautifully designed and produced, for the student of health or human rights it’s all here. For those who think they know it all, this is one of the best reminders of the main streams and tributaries of a complex subject area - which for many of us is politically and ethically obvious but can sometimes be difficult to argue in the marketplace.

At last, a book on health and human rights that has the accessibility of a reference book and the urgency of a manifesto. The book has some great writers in it and they have been edited and commissioned well. From Sachs on malaria to Hunt on health systems and the right to the highest attainable standard of health, through Hauser on women in war, Musungu on trade and health institution responses, Piot on lessons from AIDS, the list of leaders in their fields goes on.

Each section is short, clear, tightly focused and informative and thought-provoking. In a few pages, the writers sum up the key points and challenges for the issue or bring it to life with a case study. There are short lists of memorable points, so for someone new to the subject (or, like me, wanting to make sure I’ve got all the arguments straight) it’s a gift.

The book, with its explicit title, starts with the assumption that there is a right to health and it is about realising the right and not a theoretical discussion about the right itself. Ideas that don’t agree with this assumption are addressed in each chapter. Quite correctly, the debate in this book is about the challenges of realisation.

I know I can’t force everyone who works in health (nurses in Cameroon, doctors in Nepal, directors of Christian hospitals, industry leaders, journalists and ministers of health across the globe) to read this, but if I could, I am sure it would make a difference. If the reader needs to know about health in the future, see the chapters on “Bioethics and Genomics” and “Drug Resistant Tuberculosis”; for health systems, see “Enforcing the Right to Health: Innovative Lessons from Domestic Courts”; it’s all there. Every aspect of health has a human rights facet and this book illuminates the essence of them all.

I admit that I love books. The typeface, the design, the layout, the binding; everything is near-perfect for this book. But it’s hardback, it’s heavy and it’s thumb-deep at over 500 pages. It doesn’t slip into your briefcase and it’ll break your nose if you try to read it on the beach - carrying it to the desk is effort enough! I do have a serious point here - a lot of thought and money has gone into the production of this book, but if it were split into two or three paperback volumes, I am sure that a lot more people would read it and benefit from its very accessibly written content.

It’s brilliant that it’s all available online as individual chapters in pdf files (this should be standard!) It’s good to see video of the international symposium and the  feature at IP-Watch raises some interesting questions on the role of WHO.