Public Health and International Law: A Human Right Beyond Medical Service

By: International Journalist Mariya El-Amraoui El-Hashemi – Berlin

Public health is no longer just a medical issue, but one of the fundamental pillars for the stability and progress of societies. Its scope goes beyond treating diseases to include preventing them, promoting health awareness, and ensuring equitable access to healthcare for all.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), public health is defined as the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting health through the organized efforts of society. It stands on three main pillars: prevention, protection, and promotion.

The importance of this field was clearly highlighted in international relations after the COVID-19 pandemic, which proved that health is no longer a domestic matter, but a global diplomatic issue. Today, the European Union considers public health as part of its national security strategy and allocates huge budgets for it within its international cooperation programs.

However, the global health system still faces major challenges. The most prominent are the disparity in access to healthcare between the Global North and South, weak health awareness in remote areas, the impact of climate change on the spread of diseases, and the alarming spread of medical misinformation through social media.

To address these challenges, there is an urgent need for practical solutions, including investing in health media and multilingual awareness campaigns, strengthening health diplomacy between Arab and European countries, integrating health culture into educational curricula, and supporting scientific research in the field of preventive health.

In conclusion, public health is a human right before it is a medical service. Today, the international journalist is required to be an ambassador for this right, conveying knowledge from its reliable sources and defending health justice.

Dedication

_With sincere appreciation and respect, I dedicate these humble pages to His Excellency the Distinguished Lawyer Oussama Eddibi, a symbol of integrity and free speech, and the unwavering voice of truth. In appreciation of your honorable career in defending justice, and in my belief that health and justice are two sides of the same coin: human dignity.

Mariya El-Amraoui El-Hashemi
Berlin