ABSTRACT
The right to health, being a broad inclusive right to the circumstances necessary for physical as well as social and mental well-being, is fulfilled where there is meaningful access to and availability of health care goods and services. The broader right to health is linked to programmes in development, with the fulfilment of the right to health directly implicated in socio-economic development. In 1993, the World Conference on Human Rights considered the right to development at length and adopted by consensus of the 171 Member States the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action. Traditional medicine is a particularly significant public health resource for many communities and regions in the world. The critical social and cultural dimension to medicine and medical practice in many indigenous and traditional communities is significant to delivering culturally relevant and effective health care as well as fulfilling the cultural participation of the groups involved.
