United Nations
General Assembly
A/HRC/14/20/Add.2
Distr.: General
15 April 2010
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Fourteenth session
Agenda item 3
Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights,
including the right to development
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to
the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health,
Paul Hunt*, **
Addendum
Mission to India***
Summary
The Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest
attainable standard of physical and mental health visited India from 22 November to 3
December 2007 to examine maternal mortality through the lens of the right to health.
While the report gives particular attention to maternal mortality in Rajasthan and
Maharashtra, the analysis and recommendations are relevant to all states in India. They are
also relevant to countries in every region of the world.
Because of space constraints, the report focuses on (a) the health workforce and (b)
accountability. The Special Rapporteur warmly commends the Government for a number of
impressive initiatives, such as the National Rural Health Mission, and its policy of tasksharing in relation to providers of EmOC and anaesthesia. However, on applying a right-tohealth approach to maternal mortality, he identifies a number of weaknesses. For example,
the country is not training a sufficient number of skilled birth attendants and technical
senior managers. The report includes a number of recommendations, for example,
* Late submission.
** Paul Hunt ended his mandate as Special Rapporteur on 31 July 2008. His report is circulated as an
addendum to the report of his successor, Anand Grover, who took up the mandate on 1 August 2008.
*** The summary of the present report is circulated in all official languages. The report itself, annexed to
the summary, is circulated in the language of submission only.
GE.10-12866 (E)
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