CHILDREN’S RIGHTS AND ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE

Abstract

Children have the right to health, to life, to protection and to special care and attention from their parents and from the community in which they live. A number of international acts regulate and regulate these rights, and the national legislation in the country confirms and guarantees them.

A pilot survey on children's and their parents' awareness of children's rights in Bulgaria and their access to health care was conducted among 201 parents, in the period 01.12.2021-01.01.2022. Respondents were asked whether they were aware of children's rights, whether they encountered obstacles to realizing their right to health, as well as whether, in their opinion, children have real access to health care in the country. More than 50% indicate that they are familiar with children's rights, 64.7% answer that children in the country have real access to health care, but 44% share that they encountered certain obstacles when realizing their right to health.

Issues concerning children, their rights and their access to health care affect the interests of individual families, of a given nation, but also of the entire society globally. There are positive trends around the world regarding children's access to health care, but these rights depend not only on the individual and on national legislations, but also on global political decisions and natural disasters that cause refugee flows and put countries in front of new challenges.