Seminar | The Role of Law in Protecting the Rights to Health

As part of the Health Law course, a seminar entitled “The Role of Law in Protecting the Right to Health: How to Promote Justice in Health through Law and Human Rights” will be held, dedicated to interdisciplinary reflection on the legal and ethical foundations of the Right to Health and on the role of institutions, health professionals, and public policies in promoting more equitable and inclusive health systems.

This first seminar consolidates the content related to constitutional foundations, human rights, and the legal and institutional organization of the health system, allowing for an understanding of how the law functions simultaneously as an instrument of protection, a space of tension, and a mechanism for implementing political choices in health.

Throughout the session, key topics will be discussed, such as:

• the legal foundations of the right to health in Portugal and the European Union;
• the role of human rights in promoting health justice;
• the impact of the judicialization of health on access to treatment and medication;
• the challenges of equitable access to healthcare;
• the protection of vulnerable groups, including children and people in situations of greater social fragility;
• professional responsibility and the role of future doctors in defending the right to health.

The seminar will feature experts in the fields of law, health, and public policy, promoting a space for critical dialogue between academia, justice, and clinical practice.

Guest Speakers:

• Professor Leonor Rossi, PhD
• Professor Cláudia Monge, PhD
• Professor Rafael Vale e Reis, PhD
• Judge Georgina Couto

Moderators: Professor Mara de Sousa Freitas, PhD, and Catarina Fernandes, PhD

Closing remarks: Professor Paulo Oom, Deputy Director of Católica Medical School
 
Target audience: Second-year students of the Integrated Master’s Degree in Medicine at UCP

• Open to the entire academic community and civil society

This seminar aims to contribute to the training of future doctors who are legally informed, ethically aware, and committed to promoting justice in health.