Plastic surgery: right to health or luxury? : understanding the scope of the right to health

Abstract

The objective of this thesis is to discuss to what extent, if at all, the right to health does and should aim to provide plastic surgery1 treatment under the scope of the right to health, referring to the situation of mutilated victims in Sierra Leone and Northern Uganda. It develops the concept of health and clarifies the scope of the right to health. It argues whether reconstructive and cosmetic surgery are health restorative treatments and, therefore, fall within the scope of the right to health. Finally, it analyses resource allocation issues and concludes with a holistic approach to health.