Dear Bernard,
I agree with you that it could be counterproductive to argue that access to reliable healthcare information as a human right in and of itself, although I know several colleagues who think it should be (and I hope they join the conversation).
Access to reliable healthcare information is already recognised as a *determinant* of the right to health. This is important. The implications are many, and highly relevant to HIFA. These implications include (but are not limited to) the obligation of almost every government worldwide to ensure that their populations have access to reliable healthcare information, an obligation that no government has yet recognised, and a few countries have even contributed to dangerous misinformation with impunity.
I for one will continue to advocate for universal access to reliable healthcare information as a human rights issue. Not because it is a human right in itself, but because it is a key determinant of the right to health. As a determinant, this makes universal access no less imperative.
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org
