Judicial Responses to World Health Organization Norms: A Comparative Analysis of General Repercussion Cases from the Brazilian Federal Supreme Court and the Indian Supreme Court
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52609/jmlph.v5i3.195Keywords:
Brazil, Health, India, Jurisprudence, WHO, World Health OrganizationAbstract
This qualitative empirical analysis explores the judicial responses of Supreme Courts in Brazil and India to World Health Organization (WHO) norms from January 1, 2010, to January 15, 2024, in general repercussion cases. Focusing on the period before and after the global pandemic, the study employs deductive and inductive methods to examine the influence of WHO norms on the decision-making processes of national authorities. The research aims to answer specific questions related to the referral of national authorities to the WHO, factors influencing the adoption of WHO norms by judicial, legislative, or executive decision- makers, the major health challenges addressed by national instruments, and the most cited WHO norms by India and Brazil during this period. One of the main findings is that Brazil generally integrates a wide range of WHO norms directly into its legal system, whereas India tends
to use them more as complementary guidelines. According to the data analysis, when it is compared to the Indian Supreme Court, Brazilian Supreme Court gave precedence to interpretations that align with WHO's international standards, highlighting the significance of global health regulations over national concerns. Moreover, it was observed that Brazil shows stronger support for WHO standards on environmental and electromagnetic issues, often citing them directly in court cases, while India references them less frequently and typically in a supplementary, non-binding role.
References
C Ghia and G Rambhad, 'Implementation of equity and access in Indian healthcare: current scenario and way forward' (2023) 11(1) J Mark Access Health Policy 1 <https://www.mdpi.com/search?q=10.1080/20016689.2023.2194507> accessed 12 May 2024.
N Rao, 'Who Is Paying for India’s Healthcare?' (The Wire, 14 April 2018) <https://thewire.in/health/who-is-paying-for-indias-healthcare> accessed 12 May 2024.
Serviços e Informações do Brasil, 'Novo PAC: investimento de R$ 30,5 bilhões na Saúde ampliará atendimento pelo SUS' ['New PAC: investment of R$30.5 billion in health will expand services provided by the SUS'] <https://www.gov.br/pt-br/noticias/novo-pac-investimento-de-r-30-5-bilhoes-na-saude-ampliara-atendimento-pelo-sus> accessed 12 May 2024.
A Wolff, 'Conheça o Novo PAC e seus impactos na saúde pública brasileira' ['Learn about the New PAC and its impacts on Brazilian public health'] (Estratégia MED, 2024) <https://med.estrategia.com/portal/noticias/conheca-o-novo-pac-e-seus-impactos-na-saude-publica-brasileira/> accessed 13 May 2024.
KW Abbott and D Snidal, 'Hard and Soft Law in International Governance' (2000) 54(3) International Organization 421 <https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-organization/article/hard-and-soft-law-in-international-governance/EC8091A89687FDF7FC9027D1717538BF> accessed 25 January 2025.
OLM Ferraz, 'The right to health in the courts of Brazil: worsening health inequities?' (2009) 11(2) Crit Concepts 33.
EV Mendes, 'As redes de atenção à saúde' ['Healthcare networks'] (2010) 15 Ciência & Saúde Coletiva 2297 <https://www.scielo.br/j/csc/a/VRzN6vF5MRYdKGMBYgksFwc/> accessed 29 July 2024.
MMM Pai, R Ganiga, RM Pai and RK Sinha, 'Standard electronic health record (EHR) framework for Indian healthcare system' (2021) 21(3) Health Serv Outcomes Res Methodol 339 <https://doi.org/10.1007/s10742-020-00238-0> accessed 29 July 2024.
M Taqi, S Bidhuri, S Sarkar, WS Ahmad and P Wangchok, 'Rural Healthcare Infrastructural Disparities in India: a Critical Analysis of Availability and Accessibility' (2017) 3(2) J Multidiscip Res Healthc 125 <https://jmrh.chitkara.edu.in/2017/rural-healthcare-infrastructural-disparities-in-india-a-critical-analysis-of-availability-and-accessibility/> accessed 29 July 2024.
E Blas, J Sommerfeld, A Sivasankara Kurup and World Health Organization, Social determinants approaches to public health: from concept to practice (Geneva, World Health Organization 2011) <https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/44492> accessed 29 July 2024.
SG Dallari, 'O direito à saúde' ['The right to health'] (1988) 22 Revista de Saúde Pública 57 <https://www.scielo.br/j/rsp/a/jSj9cfJhsNcjyBfG3xDbyfN/> accessed 24 February 2024.
AA Freitas, MC Silva and VS do Nascimento, 'Direitos da cidadania: O direito à saúde no Brasil' ['Citizenship rights: The right to health in Brazil'] (2023) 11(1) Revista Interdisciplinar de Direitos Humanos 195 <https://www2.faac.unesp.br/ridh3/index.php/ridh/article/view/179> accessed 24 February 2024.
CEF Bartolomei, MS de Carvalho and MC Delduque, 'A saúde é um direito! Health is a right!' (2003) <https://www.arca.fiocruz.br/handle/icict/42056> accessed 24 February 2024.
IW Sarlet, 'Algumas considerações em torno do conteúdo, eficácia e efetividade do direito à saúde na Constituição de 1988' ['Some considerations surrounding the content, efficacy and effectiveness of the right to health in the 1988 constitution'] (2001) 3(12) Interesse Público 91.
R Lima, 'Direito à Saúde e Critérios de Aplicação. Direito Público' ['Right to Health and Application Criteria'] (2006) 1(12) Direito Público <http://www.direitopublico.idp.edu.br/index.php/direitopublico/article/view/425/347> accessed 24 February 2024.
H Ávila, Teoria dos princípios: da definição à aplicação dos princípios jurídicos ['Theory of principles: from definition to application of legal principles'] (2nd edn, Malheiros, São Paulo 2003) 127.
FS Vieira, 'Judicialization and right to health in Brazil: a trajectory of matches and mismatches' (2023) 57 Revista de Saúde Pública 1 <https://www.scielosp.org/article/rsp/2023.v57/1/pt/> accessed 24 February 2024.
M Sarmah, 'A Study of Right to health under the Constitution of India' (2019) V(III) International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Studies 85.
K Vasak, 'Le droit international des droits de l’homme' ['International Human Rights Law'] (1974) 140 Recueil des Cours.
A Viswanath, 'Critical Analysis of the Various Facets of Right to Health under Article 21 of the Constitution' (2023) 3(3) Indian Journal of Integrated Research in Law 1 <https://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.journals/injloitd4&i=1964> accessed 24 February 2024.
M Fraga, O conflito entre tratado internacional e norma de direito interno: estudo analítico da situação do tratado na ordem jurídica brasileira ['The conflict between international treaty and rules of domestic Law: analytical study of the situation of the treaty in the Brazilian legal order'] (1st edn, 4th print, Editora Forense, Rio de Janeiro 2006) 140.
F Rezek, Direito dos Tratados ['Treaty law'] (Forense, Rio de Janeiro 1984).
United Nations, 'Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties' (1969) <https://legal.un.org/ilc/texts/instruments/english/conventions/1_1_1969.pdf> accessed 19 February 2024.
APC de Medeiros, O poder de celebrar tratados: competência dos poderes constituídos para a celebracao de tratados à luz do direito internacional, do direito comparado e do direito constitucional brasileiro [‘The power to conclude treaties: competence of the constituted powers for the conclusion of treaties in the light of international law, comparative law and Brazilian constitutional law’] (Doctoral thesis, University of São Paulo 1995).
F Piovesan, 'A Constituição de 1988 e os tratados internacionais de proteção dos direitos humanos' [‘The 1988 Constitution and international treaties protecting human rights’] (1997) 47/48 Rev Procuradoria Geral do Estado de São Paulo 95 <https://www.pge.sp.gov.br/centrodeestudos/revistaspge/revista3/rev6.htm> accessed 19 February 2024.
F Piovesan, Direitos Humanos e o direito constitucional internacional [‘Human Rights and International Constitutional Law’] (Max Limonad, São Paulo 2000)
JG Starke, 'Monism and Dualism in the Theory of International Law' (1936) 17 British Yearbook of International Law 66 <https://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.journals/byrint17&i=70> accessed 25 January 2025.
V de O Mazzouli, 'O Supremo Tribunal Federal e os conflitos entre tratados internacionais e leis internas' [‘The Federal Supreme Court and conflicts between international treaties and domestic laws’] (2002) 154 Revista de Informação Legislativa 15 <https://www2.senado.leg.br/bdsf/bitstream/handle/id/768/R154-02.pdf?sequence=4&isAllowed=y> accessed 19 February 2024.
PM Bakshi, The Constitution of India (12th edn, Universal Law Publishing Co, New Delhi 2015).
A Chandra, 'India and international law: formal dualism, functional monism' (2017) 57(1) Indian Journal of International Law 25 <https://doi.org/10.1007/s40901-017-0069-0> accessed 20 February 2024.
B Shiva Rao, VKN Menon, SC Kashyap, NKN Iyengar (eds), The Framing of India’s Constitution vol 2 (Universal Law Publishing Co, Delhi 1967).
VS Mani, 'Effectuation of international law in the municipal legal order: the law and practice in India' in Ko Swan Sik, JJG Syatauw and MCW Pinto (eds), Asian Yearbook of International Law, Volume 5 (1995) (Brill | Nijhoff 1995) 145 <https://brill.com/view/book/edcoll/9789004400641/B9789004400641_s009.xml> accessed 22 February 2024.
R Dhavan, 'Treaties and People: Indian Reflections' (1997) 39(1) Journal of the Indian Law Institute 1 <https://www.jstor.org/stable/43951677> accessed 23 February 2024.
TM Franck and AK Thiruvengadam, 'International Law and Constitution-Making' (2003) 2(2) Chinese Journal of International Law 467.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Alex Silva Oliveira, Narender Kumar
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) is a flexible and commonly used license that allows others to share, remix, adapt, and build upon the work even for commercial purposes, as long as they follow the requirements outlined by the license.
