This overview contains examples of different types of action within the three spheres of influence. The examples have been divided over the five categories of human rights action described earlier in Section 2. The overview is meant as a source of inspiration on what steps for change to take.
1. PROTECTION – Stop, prevent or remedy human rights violations
Individual patient care:
- Upholding human rights while treating your patient: see here for more information
Work sphere – direct:
- Discuss with colleagues: practices or regulations that are not in line with human rights
- Challenge colleagues if their own conduct does not comply with human rights
Work sphere – indirect:
- Inform superiors about practices or regulations that are not in line with human rights
- File complaints about incidents that have put human rights of patients at risk
- Ask for support from professional associations when protecting patients
Outside work sphere:
- Act as a witness in court
- Support strategic litigation
- Challenge regulations that do not comply with human rights in court
2. DOCUMENTATION – Record, monitor and assess
Individual patient care:
- Look further into outside circumstances that affect the health status of the patient
- Identify individuals or groups that do not have adequate access to your health institution
- Recognize patterns and connect these to human rights
- Keep a register of patients whose rights are at risk
Work sphere – direct:
- Keep a record of human rights concerns within your health institution
- Keep a record of action taken to address human rights concerns
- Collect data necessary to measure compliance with human rights from your own health institution
Work sphere – indirect:
- Make an inventory of existing policies and guidelines of professional associations
- Compare existing policies and guidelines with daily practice
- Assess whether policies/guidelines and their effects are in line with human rights
Outside work sphere:
- Collect additional information from outside sources on human rights issues in your health institution
- Make an inventory of national health policies
- Check correct implementation of national health policies with daily practice
- Assess whether national health policies and their effects are in line with human rights
- Collect good practices from other countries
3. DISSEMINATION – Advocate, report and raise awareness
Individual patient care:
- Raise awareness about available health services
- Refer patients to outside organisations that can help
- Inform patients about their rights where necessary
Work sphere – direct:
- Discuss your human rights findings with colleagues
- Discuss your human rights findings with family of patients / patient groups
- Distribute materials on human rights within your health institution
Work sphere – indirect:
- Write to professional associations
- Inform influential health workers
- Train other health workers on human rights
- Disseminate materials on human rights within the health sector
- Contribute to the inclusion of human rights in medical curricula
Outside work sphere:
- Share your human rights findings with government, human rights institutions, NGOs, the media
- Personally meet with influential actors to share your experience as a health worker
- Invite the media for an interview
- Write an article
- Sensitise policy makers and lawyers on health and human rights
- Organise activities for public awareness
4. MOBILISATION – Participate, stimulate and connect
Individual patient care:
- Stimulate patients to join forces with others who encounter similar obstacles
- Stimulate patients to claim their rights
Work sphere – direct:
- Mobilise colleagues to take up human rights issues
- Motivate families of patients to stand-up against human rights issues
- Form an action group with colleagues
Work sphere – indirect:
- Organise round table discussions with health workers and patients
- Motivate influential health workers to support change
- Propose the establishment of a human rights committee within professional associations
- Petition among health workers
- Negotiate for necessary medicines, supplies and staff
Outside work sphere:
- Join existing action groups
- Petition
- Demonstrate
- Motivate schools to pay attention to the issue
- Build relations with policy makers
- Lobby for policy change and law reform
- Organise round table discussions with policy makers, health workers and patients
5. CREATION – Develop new ideas and alternatives
Individual patient care:
- Set up a complaint mechanism for patients
- Provide space for a support group of patients facing wsimilar obstacles
Work sphere – direct:
- Create patient-friendly surroundings
- Introduce a periodical meeting to discuss human rights issues that arise
- Develop information material for patients and colleagues
Work sphere – indirect:
- Develop procedures and guidelines
- Set up a hotline
- Set up a complaint mechanism for colleagues
- Create specific education materials for health workers on health and human rights
Outside work sphere:
- Participate in formulation of health policies
- Set up a complaint mechanism within a community, region or at the national level
- Create a newsletter or website about human rights and healthcare