The Right to Health: Implications for the funding of medicines in Australia

Abstract

Australia’s health system is characterised by an ongoing tension between a commitment to utility and a commitment to individual rights. This tension is particularly problematic for the Australian Government when deciding which cancer medicines to add to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme to make cheaper for patients. This paper investigates how the right to the highest attainable standard of health has influenced decisions about funding high cost cancer medicines in Australia. We then consider the value of the right to health for funders and conclude that resource allocation decisions should not be entirely informed by the right to health. We maintain that instead, regard should be had to the cost-effectiveness and affordability of cancer treatments before they are subsidised.