What Role Can the Right to Health Play in Advancing Equity in Kidney Care?

Kidney disease, whether acute or chronic, is an important health concern for more than 750 million people worldwide. Although its magnitude has been better studied within developed countries, evidence increasingly suggests similar scales of impact in developing and underdeveloped countries. On a shared planet where limited resources and high costs keep life-saving care out of reach for the poor and other structurally disadvantaged populations, addressing health concerns on such a large scale requires a governing basis in the recognition of the universal right to health. As designed under international human rights law, the right to health is meant to be legally enforceable on par with other human rights, and so provides a firm guiding framework for advancing health equity. This article traces the evolution of the right to health in international human rights law while assessing the framework's potential contributions to equitable access to treatment in forums including domestic litigation and rights-based advocacy tools. This article ultimately outlines and clarifies the right to health as a viable, justiciable means for advancing equitable access to kidney treatment and care.