Health (In)justice: Examining Structural Dysfunction in Health System Law

Abstract

This article explores the ways in which the use of regulation, through the use of law, ethics, policies and standards, raises complex and deeply important questions about the ways in which our systems enable health (in)justice. My research journey started when I sat in a specialist's office as a 19-year-old student at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, and heard words no one wants to hear. As I sat there with the noises of the world drowned out by those words echoing over and over in my head, I thought about power, privilege and their impact on peoples' access to, and experience of, the health system. Reflecting on vignettes of my experiences as a patient, I discuss the implications of these moments for the law, policy and ethics of health systems. If our health system is an expression of our values, what are they, and how can we and should we use the law to better express and enable them?