PHA-Exchange> Commemoration of 25th Anniversary of Alma Ata Declaration

[Aviva]

From: "Community Health Cell" <sochara at vsnl.com>


 From: WHO - WHA Circle of PHM (Convenor: Dr.Ravi Narayan)
>
> Ref: Follow up on Alma-Ata Anniversary Meeting
>
> Dear Friends,
>
> Greetings from Community Health Cell!
>
> As Convenor of the WHO-WHA Circle I have been requested by many to begin
working on a format for the Alma Ata Anniversary meetings next year 2003
following the note already sent out by Dr.Qasem on 29th July and the
responses from Dr.Bala(Sri Lanka), Dr.Barzgar (Iran) and others. As part of
starting this process I am enclosing an initial ideas draft - just
suggestions.
>
> 1. The Alma Ata Declaration was finalized at the Alma Ata Conference in>
September 1978. So September 2003 is actually the 25th anniversary month.
For purposes of our local regional and global reflections, we could focus on
2003 as the year of the anniversary reflection.
> 2. The coordinates in the post Alma Ata reflections should include not
only what happened to the Primary Health Care Strategy at the Global and
country levels but also reflect on special initiatives and programme like
Essential Drugs strategy; the code for Marketing Breast Milk substitutes;
the expanded programmes of immunization and a series of
 international initiatives all the way from the GOBI-FFF, safe motherhood to
RBM, TFI, GAVI, MMV, Global fund for AIDS, TB, Malaria and others.
> 3. The Alma Ata Declaration and the Peoples Health Charter could be used
as the framework of analysis.
> 4. With the changing visions and roles of international health agencies
like WHO and UNICEF who were co-sponsors of the Alma Ata meeting; and the
growing development of World Bank as a key health player; and the effects of
neo-liberal economic policies of liberalization, Globalization and
privatization; and evolving international instruments
 of governance like WTO, IPR, GATT etc etc, the whole primary health
care/community health/peoples health context has changed drastically and our
analysis must be both historical and contextual. The role of other actors
including NGOs and civil society can also be discussed.
> 5. The changing leadership of WHO and UNICEF over the years including the
announced potential change in WHO in 2003 must be added to the analysis and
the opportunity used to discuss not only international health concerns and
international health programmes- initiatives and trends, but perhaps also
significantly the type of international health
 leadership we have and what we need .
> 6. With PHA and WSF and similar visible international solidarity and
collectivity, this is also an important year to reflect on all our own
networking lobbying and advocacy efforts around the world (the G8 of Global
PHM) and (the G8 of Indian PHM). Since while it may be easier in our
analysis to focus on WHO/UNICEF/World Bank and national governments - the
NGOs-civil/society and peoples networks will also have to take the
responsibility for not becoming an adequate countervailing power to this
neo-liberal distortion in the HFA goals. While we too failed the people, -
PHA and PHM at different levels may be the beginning of a new phase, a new
collective commitment and 2003 must include a critical self reflection of
our own initiatives, campaigns and perspectives before 2000 AD. We need to
build sustainable mechanisms of functioning so that
the momentum continues and gets more deeply socially rooted.
> 7. There are numerous reading materials and background sources that we
need to review as we prepare for these reflections. The writings of  Prof.
D.Banerji, Vicente Navarro and a host of others have for years been
cautioning us regarding distortions. Prof. Banerji critique of the Global
Health fund was a more recent example - extracts of which were
 put on the PHA Exchange.
> 8. This note requests you all to send me the following as preparation  for
a collective study.
>
> a) To begin with we could start with Health for All series of WHO a set
of 6-7 colorful booklets that give the background. Review them. Reflect  on
what happened after Alma Ata in your State or country or region in  the last
25 years. Send us that reflection.
> b) If you have written or come across any document that you think is good
background and you have access to a 'soft copy' that can be  e-mailed to
others then please send it to me at sochara at vsnl.com, > attention Convenor
WHO - WHA circle of PHM.
> c) If you are already planning an event in your state country or region on
the Alma Ata anniversary - send us whatever information you have  about
format - content, potential dates etc so that we can build up a schedule of
the anniversary celebrations.
> d) If you have any other ideas on what we could do for the Alma Ata
anniversary year  - than let us know so that others can get stimulated  or
inspired to initiate something themselves.
> e) If you would like to volunteer to critique one of the documents or
international initiatives mentioned earlier, please let us know.
>
> 9. Already as mentioned in Dr.Qasem's letter about the Alma Ata
anniversary - we have some evolving commitments.
>
> a) Asian Social Forum in Hyderabad will have a satellite workshop on this
theme sometime between 2-7th January.
> b) The World Social Forum in Brazil in Februry may also have a session.
> c) In Geneva, preceeding the next WHA in May 2003, we hope to have a
meeting in partnership with NGO Forum for Health.
> d) Sunil Deepak informed us that they may include a session on Alma Ata
at the AIFO national meeting in Italy, August 2003. So the list goes on.
>
> 10. The biggest challenge for all of us in PHM is to ensure that the PH
Charter does not go the same way as the Alma Ata declaration - forgotten,
distorted, selectivised, verticalised, commercialized and  ignored. PHM was
meant to be a global challenge to this global amnesia.
 We need to evolve a different strategy this time and use 2003 as a
launching pad for  it.
>
>  ARE YOU READY TO GET INVOLVED?
>
> I look forward to your comments and suggestion. These will be collated
from time to time and sent to you all as we did for the PHM Geneva event.
>
> With best wishes,
> Yours Sincerely,
> Ravi Narayan.
> Convenor, WHO - WHA Circle of PHM.