In the modern landscape of public health, a peculiar paradox has emerged: a society that meticulously protects its digital devices while remaining startlingly indifferent to its own biological well-being. We consume tobacco with regularity and indulge in poor dietaryResponsibilities habits, often under the misguided belief that minor, superficial adjustments can neutralize years of systemic self-neglect. We are a species of contradiction—seeking “heart health” through salted nuts, effectively negating the benefit with the very sodium that endangers us.

This pattern of personal irresponsibility extends far beyond nutrition. We see it on our roads, where motorcycles are operated at high speeds, often by minors with the explicit consent of their guardians. Yet, the moment a consequence arises—a seizure or an accident—the tone shifts from negligence to entitlement. We berate medical professionals for systemic failures while simultaneously attempting to bypass legal protocols through routine bribery of law enforcement. We demand the state’s protection while refusing to wear a helmet.

The Self-Inflicted Burden Through these daily actions, we cultivate a surge in non-communicable diseases. To proclaim that “healthcare is a fundamental right” while ignoring personal safety creates a vacuum of accountability. We assume the government is not watching, yet we are the ones who turn a blind eye to our own health. How can we demand a fundamental right when we treat its prerequisite—personal responsibility—with such disdain? This cultural indifference creates a barrier that no legislation alone can bridge.

Here a Constitutional Gap, We Can’t See. Currently,mukul healthcare in Bangladesh occupies a legal gray area. While the United Nations recognizes it as a fundamental human right, our domestic Constitution has yet to grant it the status of a “fundamental right.” It is currently viewed as a state responsibility a policy goal rather than an enforceable right of the citizen.

However, there is momentum for change. The Health Reform Commission has recently recommended that primary healthcare be enshrined as a fundamental right. But for this to be meaningful, our definition of “health” must evolve. It is not merely the absence of disease or the fulfillment of a work shift; it is a holistic concept inextricably linked to the right to clean water and sustainable land,The security of life, livelihood, and the rule of law, dignified and efficient delivery of all government services.

For too long, the concept of “rights” has been relegated to the realm of satire or forgotten entirely, revived only for the pageantry of World Health Day.

If we are to demand that the state protect our bodies, we must first learn to value them. Even in the absence of advanced resources, the basic practice of hygiene and safety provides a necessary foundation. The philosophy of “my body, my choice” becomes a public concern when personal choices result in a drain on the national treasury and limited healthcare resources.

The truth is that while healthcare may not yet be constitutionally enshrined as a fundamental right in Bangladesh, the state has long treated it as a fundamental responsibility. The COVID-19 pandemic served as a grim testament to this. The sacrifices made from the family of the Health Secretary to frontline sanitation workers and eminent professors demonstrate that health is the cornerstone of our national stability.

Healthcare is too vital to remain a mere “responsibility”

of the state. Based on the collective labor and sacrifice of our health workers, it is time to argue, even in the highest courts, that healthcare is indeed a fundamental rightcontingent upon a society that is finally ready to take its own well-being seriously.

Mukul H. Pramanik,A

Health Rights Health Worker and Labor Rights Activist