Health and human rights: an area of neglect in the core curriculum?

Abstract

Medical ethics and law education in the UK is undergoing continuous transformation. In parallel, human rights teaching with respect to health is expanding as a distinct field. Yet a resistance to the inclusion of human rights in the medical ethics and law curriculum persists. In response to Stirrat and colleagues, this article seeks to highlight the mutual benefit that could be derived from an integration of human rights into the already established medical ethics and law teaching in medical schools. It proposes that incorporating human rights into the curriculum would add value to traditional medical ethics and law teaching and provide a promising opportunity to enhance the interest from the student body.