Children’s Right to Health: Theory versus Practice

Introduction A research was conducted from 2014 to 2018 to understand the reasons behind the gap between the theoretical affirmation of children’s right to health and its practical realization. Hospitals and healthcare services were chosen as possible settings to understand these reasons and identify the gap. Methods Questionnaires (open-ended questions) were completed throughout the year 2017 with experts working at International level in the field of children’s rights. A survey was set up using a structured multiple-choice questionnaire in Italian, English, and French. The survey was addressed to hospital staff (professionals; managers and administrative staff). All the results from the experts’ questionnaires and from the survey were elaborated using Excel. Result Experts concluded that professionals still have to understand the full value of implementing children’s rights in hospitals and that the United Nations should empower their own action in order to push states towards the respect and full realization of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The survey results seem to confirm that in healthcare settings professionals’ have difficulties in understanding how to relate to children in order to facilitate the full realization of their right to health. Conclusion The investigation confirmed the existence of a ‘perceptive astigmatism’ as guiding factor for professionals’ behaviour towards children.