Health Must Be Recognized as the Human Right It Is: Héctor Javier Sánchez MD MSSenior Researcher, Department of Society, Culture and HealthEl Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR), Chiapas, Mexico.

Dr Hector Javier Sanchez specializes in public health and research methodology and holds a master's degree in epidemiology. He is a senior researcher in the Society, Culture and Health Department at El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Mexico. The Colegio is a public research institu-tion concentrating on environmental, economic and social issues related to a sustainable future for Mexico's southern border area, and belongs to the National Council of Science and Technol-ogy (CONACYT). In Chiapas State, the country's poorest region and home to many indigenous peoples, Dr Sanchez has carried out studies on TB, poverty and health, domestic violence, hu-man rights, maternal-child health and the effect of agrochemicals on human health.