Preventive and supportive implementations in child health in Turkey from a legal aspects

The protection and improvement of public health and the complete individual rights to health are only possible with sustained public service improvements. The right to health is an internationally recognized human right. State-run health programs should respect fundamental rights and freedoms while protecting individual and public health. Establishing a balance is the state's responsibility. If programs about improving children's health and thus the community's health are not implemented, the results could lead to a variety of health issues according to the type of that program. A child has fundamental rights to healt as a human-being hand these rights, as well as the state's responsibility on public health should be valued. One should also know that in any case of harm caused by the parents' choice of not to benefit from the health services during childhood, threatens not only the family's responsibility towards their child but also towards the state and the society. The outcome of the cases that are concerned with the rejection of health services should be examined both in long and short terms. The family's choice to prevent the best interest of a child and the impact emerged from this situation should be emphasized. This study focuses on the state's and families' responsibilities about the implementations of programs that focus on children who need protection due to age and physical conditions, who have tendency to have genetic or metabolic diseases which can be cured with early diagnoses, who are susceptible to infectious diseases, who are not capable of making decisions. For this study, research has been done, doctrine and court orders have been examined. Legislation, international contracts on health law, books and articles on this topic have been used as resources. This study aims to point out the importance of the delicate balance between "protection of fundamental rights and freedoms" and "protection of an individual, therefore public health" while implementing programs on protecting and improving children's health.