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Centre for the Right to Health (Nigeria)

Centre for the Right to Health

The need to properly address the diverse and complex problems associated with healthcare delivery in Nigeria provided the impetus to the founding in 1999, of the ‘Center for the Right to Health’- a non-profit, non-governmental organization. The Centre ’ s mission is t o advocate for the full realization of the right to health in Nigeria and to promote respect for ethics and human rights in health - care policies and practices, especially for vulnerable groups such as p eople l iving w ith HIV/AIDS, women, youth and children. The Centre ’ s Advocacy Program includes :

  • Outreach and inter-personal programs to promote support of the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS, targeting workplaces, policy - makers, professionals and other social groups..

  • Consultation with legal and health authority professionals, health-focused NGOs, human rights groups, communities, n etworks of p eople l iving w ith HIV/AIDS and other vulnerable groups, through seminars, colloquia, workshops, debates, conferences, etc.

  • Networking with regional, national and international human rights and health-focused groups, with a view to framing common strategies for the protection of the right to health.

    They have established a group of 15 lawyers who provide pro-bono (free) legal representation. They offer l egal counseling, preparation of wills, legal representation and litigation for defenseless groups especially PLWHA and other victims of health rights violations. Their achievements include:

  • Establishment of a Legal Action Committee Initiative (LACI) to train and encourage lawyers to provide pro-bono services for HIV-positive persons . A 3-day discussion workshop was held at the University of Lagos, Lagos State University and the Nigerian Law School, tagged ‘ HIV/AIDS: The Role of Law’.

  • Through dialogue and mediation, the legal support program ha s helped reinstate four persons living with HIV whose appointments were terminated. CRH is also currently presenting a case in court on behalf of a n HIV-positive woman whose employment was unlawfully terminated by her employer (a commercial bank) after an HIV test was conducted without her consent.