The Right to Healthcare Must Include the Right to Ease of Physical Access: Exploring Geography-Health Nexus in GIDA Communities in the Philippines.

This article examines the critical role of geography in limiting access to quality health care in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs) in the Philippines, using the United Nations' "leave no one behind" (LNOB) framework for sustainable development goals. It highlights how physical inaccessibility—due to poor infrastructure, long distances, and high transportation costs—exacerbates health disparities by hindering health-seeking behavior and access to essential services. The article argues that current public health paradigms and policies insufficiently address physical accessibility, calling for government action to subsidize transportation costs, improve road infrastructure, and integrate accessibility into health care planning. It emphasizes that residents of GIDAs must actively claim their right to accessible health care, and that fulfilling this right is essential to achieving equitable health outcomes and upholding fundamental state obligations.