PHA-Exchange> On privatization of social services

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From:"Equinet Newsletter" <EQUINET-Newsletter at equinetafrica.org>
NEWSLETTER 07 June 2002
1. EDITORIAL
Rene Loewenson/Thumida Maistry, Equinet
(excerpts)
A recent conference hosted by the Municipal Services Project in
Johannesburg highlighted a growing tide of defiance from people around 
South Africa over privatisation and its impact on access to basic 
services. People travelled from all parts of South Africa to testify in 
the workshop on their experiences of hardship as a result of 
privatisation and unaffordable service costs, noting stories of 
evictions, and water and electricity cut offs. Most of these 
testimonies articulated the view that basic needs, such
as water and electricity, are basic rights. Many highlighted the
negative impact of reduced access to basic services such as water 
supplies on health and quality of life.

Participants consistently raised the constraints to service delivery 
under globalisation, privatisation and cost recovery measures, and their
negative health impacts. During the workshops, delegates discussed 
strategies to address the issue.
Would a rights based approach or one centred on claiming legal redress
for deprivation of basic rights be successful? The meeting identified 
the need for a new wave of social mobilisation as being more important 
than legal battles in achieving constitutional rights around basic 
services.

The impact of foreign intervention in basic services was also explored.
It was noted that the world’s water management continues to be taken up 
by foreign companies. 
Globalisation, privatisation, and centralised management of
the world’s natural resources makes humanity itself one of the greatest
threats to itself.

Patkar and others noted that the response to such challenges called for
a social movement, able to strategise, resisting co-option by
international agencies and able to resist neoliberal policies. 

The conference explored how such social forces for health are organised
and growing. Community struggles around access to basic services were
seen to be snowballing, particularly when they have support from social
movements around the world. More well established movements, like the 
youth activists and organised labour all noted their roles 
internationally in targeting access to serves and in building alliances 
with other community based organisations.

A growing social movement to pressure for basic services was thus seen
as the greatest predictor of service cover. This was particularly the 
case as neoliberal forces have grown. 
Market policies and inequitable development were viewed as primary
threats to increasing cover of basic services. 

ALSO IN EQUINET:
Equity in health and its determinants need to be placed higher on the 
policy and research agendas of both international and national 
organizations in low-, middle-, and high-income countries. 
International agencies can strengthen or undermine national efforts to 
achieve greater equity. The Primary Health Care strategy is at least as 
relevant today as it was two decades ago; but equity needs to
move from being largely implicit to becoming an explicit component of
the strategy, and progress toward greater equity must be carefully
monitored in countries of all per capita income levels. Particularly in 
the context of an increasingly globalized world, improvements in health 
for privileged groups should suggest what could, with political will, 
be possible for all.
Further details:
http://www.equinetafrica.org/newsletter/newsletter.php?id=663