Research project Older Persons' Right of Access to Health Care: A View from ASEAN

ASEAN is seeing a rapid increase in the number of persons 60 years or older. This trend places increasing demands on health care systems to accommodate the needs of older persons. A major provider of health care has traditionally been the family. However, the family’s role as care-giver has declined in recent years: lower rates of fertility mean that there are fewer family members you can provide care and there is a trend in which younger family members move to urban areas or abroad for study or work reasons.

It is in the nature of human rights obligations – here the right to health - that states bear primary responsibility within their jurisdictions to uphold such rights. Although non-public actors within states – including individuals - often in practice contribute to the realization of human rights, the state will always remain bound to ensure that these rights are in fact fulfilled. The study explores models of public health care that can enable ASEAN to compensate for the declining role of the family as health care providers and thus ensure the right to health.