13.6.3 Health Systems and Access for Children

Under the principle of subsidiary within Europe, each Member State has its own health system and system of eligibility. In many countries, this is based on insurance provision linked to parental circumstances, with or without state guarantees for the provision of healthcare for children. In other countries, it is based on citizenship with particular difficulties for mobile, refugee and illegally resident families.

However, a child should not be the victim of their parent’s circumstances or past actions. Each child is a human being and a global citizen in his/her own right, and under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child each child is entitled to the right to health (United Nations, 1989). A core test of any health system is equity of access for children, regardless of the circumstances of their parents.