Human rights should be taught in medical school to ensure proper care for people with learning disabilities

• Published in: BMJ (Online) Vol. 346; no. jun25 1; p. f4047
• Main Author: Hall, Peter Lawrence
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London British Medical Journal Publishing Group 25-06-2013; BMJ Publishing Group LTD
• Subjects: Disability; Health care; Human rights; Learning disabilities
• ISSN: 0959-8138; 1756-1833; 1756-1833
• DOI: 10.1136/bmj.f4047

The editorial by Hollins and Tuffrey-Wijne on premature deaths among people with a learning disability disregards the violation of health rights inherent in the inadequate standards of healthcare to which some are subjected. 1 A survey in 2010 by ICM on behalf of Mencap showed that more than a third of doctors and nurses think that the NHS discriminates against patients with a learning disability. 2 Nearly half of the doctors (including 61% of general practitioners) considered that they receive lower standards of healthcare. The recent confidential inquiry into premature deaths of people with a learning disability, recommended by the 2008 Michael inquiry, established that the risk of someone with a learning disability dying as a result of inadequate medical care is more than four times that of the remainder of the population. 3 The most authoritative right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health is article 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, as comprehensively defined by the 65 paragraph explication of health specific rights known as general comment 14.