This is a guest blog by Jonathan Chern, Advocacy Coordinator at René Cassin, who are a member of the UK ESCR Network which Just Fair convenes.
As we mark the anniversary of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) this year, it is worth reflecting on what the right to health means in practice and, crucially, for whom it is fully realised.
Article 12 of ICESCR recognises the right of everyone to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. This is not simply about the existence of healthcare services, but about whether they are available, accessible, acceptable and of good quality for all communities, without discrimination. Too often in the UK, that promise remains unevenly fulfilled, particularly for minority communities whose needs do not fit neatly into standardised public service models.
At René Cassin, the Jewish voice for human rights, we work closely with Jewish frontline organisations addressing gaps in access to food, housing and healthcare. There is a consistent theme reflected by these organisations: where public services struggle to understand or adapt to the cultural, religious and practical realities of minority life, communities are forced to create their own safety nets. These responses are sometimes misunderstood as evidence of separation or privilege. In reality, they are indicators of unmet rights.
Community‑specific health provision plays a vital role in enabling access to care where mainstream systems fall short. Jews are often denied appropriate medical care, some research shows this can be because of an “assumed relationship with Israel” or at other times because of the perception that Jews are already privileged and therefore not in need”. For observant Jews, practical barriers worsen the situation: appointments scheduled on Holy Days; hospitals failing to provide Kosher meals; and a lack of sensitivity to the rhythms of Jewish religious life all contribute to a barrier between religious Jewish communities and the NHS.
One such voluntary service, which reflects minority community needs and values, is Hatzola, a Jewish-run ambulance service which treats Jews and non-Jews alike. Hatzola made headlines in March when multiple ambulances were set alight as part of a stream of violent hate crimes against the Jewish community. The charity is one of many organisations that operate because mainstream services are not always equipped to meet the cultural, religious, and practical needs of the communities they serve.
The NHS Race and Health Observatory has identified a systemic lack of understanding of Jewish identity within NHS communications, alongside inconsistent data collection and mistrust between healthcare providers and observant Jewish patients. Research shows that racialised minority groups are often viewed by clinicians as exaggerating or misrepresenting their symptoms. This is not specific to Jews, but something that is replicated across minority communities. Under ICESCR, these are not interpreted as accidental shortcomings. Rather, they represent failures of the state to fulfil its positive obligations.
When trust in public services is splintered, services like Hatzola make up the first point of call. Community‑run health services and volunteer emergency responders should be understood not as parallel systems competing with the NHS, but as rights‑based adaptations to structural exclusion. They operate on principles that ICESCR itself demands: accessibility, acceptability and dignity. In many cases, like with Hatzola, they also serve people beyond their own communities, strengthening social cohesion rather than undermining it.
While community initiatives are a vital expression of resilience and solidarity, they exist because the state has not yet ensured that public services work equally well for everyone. The right to health cannot depend on voluntary labour alone, nor should minority communities have to compensate for institutional blind spots.
This issue extends well beyond Jewish communities. Migrant groups, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, disabled people, and racialised minorities across the UK have long highlighted how one‑size‑fits‑all healthcare systems fail to meet diverse needs. ICESCR provides a powerful framework for understanding these experiences not as isolated service failures, but as systemic rights violations requiring structural solutions.
Crucially, ICESCR also reminds us that progress is possible. The Covenant calls for “progressive” realisation, meaning states must continually take concrete steps to improve access and reduce inequality. Community‑specific provision offers valuable lessons in how trust is built, how barriers are removed, and how healthcare can be delivered in ways that respect people’s identities and lived realities.
If ICESCR is to be meaningful in the UK today, public authorities must embed economic and social rights into healthcare planning and delivery. This means meaningful engagement with affected communities, cultural competence training, and accountability when discrimination occurs. It also requires proper data collection from the top, including a more robust harmonised standard for understanding minority communities.
The right to health is ambitious, and so it should be. That is why ICESCR operates with the knowledge that change is gradual and achievable. And as we mark 50 years, it is fair and appropriate for us to say not enough ground has been covered. For those of us in the Jewish community, it means acknowledging a simple principle: that the right to health is not realised when services merely exist, but when they work for everyone.
Background image by Marek Tartal
