PHA-Exchange> Final Declaration - II International Forum for Advocacy of People`s Health

[Maria Hamlin Zúniga]

DECLARATION OF THE II INTERNATIONAL FORUM FOR THE DEFENSE OF PEOPLES HEALTH

Health is a human right and a fundamental part of the right to life, as well
as the duty of the state and its obligation to fulfill international
commitments. Health is a right in and of itself, and not a means to promote
so-called human capital. Nor can it be seen as merchandise, but rather a
public good.

Health is an integral process that includes everything from decent living
conditions, healthy employment with adequate conditions, access to basic
services such as clean water, education to promote citizenship, adequate
food, to a healthy environment free from violence, and accessible quality
health care at all levels.

Health workers play a fundamental role in facilitating the right to health
and access to adequate services. Thus, it is important that they have
adequate working conditions.

We denounce the serious and sustained deterioration of living, health and
working conditions of the majority of countries and peoples. This is found
particularly in poor countries, but also in some other countries the social
right to health is being lost (Great Britain, Germany, etc.). This
deterioration originates in the concept that health and life are merchandise
and sources of wealth and speculation, and in the prevailing model of care
that is extremely costly and promotes dependency.

Migration from the countryside to the city and from poor countries to less
poor countries is a daily component of the lives of our peoples, and in many
places, it is one of the main sources of income for families and for
countries through family remittances (It is the primary source in Ecuador,
El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, etc.).  This has resulted in
broken families and the loss of labor, social and citizen rights by those
who emigrate and become outcasts in the new countries.

This phenomenon is used to justify and legitimize the privatization of
services, along with, among others, arguments about the inefficiency of
public administration, limited public resources and weaknesses in the
systems themselves.

The neoliberal so-called “reforms” and “modernization” of the health
sector – which are only a whitewash for privatization – deepen inequality
and lack of access. There are several kinds of privatization; one is giving
services to private providers and insurance companies, and the other is
imposing a commercial mentality in the public sector. Both are detrimental
to the right to health. However, democratic methods are being experimented
in some places, such as Brazil, to seek ways to improve services,
participation and citizen control; these have had some successes as well as
difficulties.

We must break the neoliberal dogmas that say, for example: provision of
services cannot be separated from the financing of those services, nor can
one separate the different levels of care.

The IMF, World Bank and regional banks like IDB impose these concepts as
conditions for countries to access their services. This generates
inequality, less access and worsened living and health conditions.
At the same time, we should note the lack of belligerence on the part of the
WHO to safeguard the health of peoples and its subordination to these
conditions, the WTO and transnational corporations.

We support decentralization as a means to deepen and develop democracy, but
also acknowledge that it is not sufficient in and of itself.  It must take
place in the framework of national, state and local public systems, because
these local systems cannot take over the responsibility of national
governments.  Incomplete decentralization creates obstacles to access and
increased inequity.

The wars promoted against Iraq by the government of the United States and
the United Kingdom, or that of the Israeli government, its occupation,
systematic destruction and attempt to eradicate the idea of nation and
nationality of the Palestinian people, threaten the right to life and health
of these peoples and of the world.

The same is true of the coup attempts and efforts to de-legitimize the legal
government in Venezuela, and the ongoing war in Colombia. Both types of
conflict seek to legitimize a hegemony that threatens the autonomy and
self-determination of peoples, all in order to defend the “freedom” of
financial capital.

We underscore the situation in Argentina, where the application of the IMF
dictates has already led to the impoverishment and epidemic spread of
hunger. But, we also want to note that the levels of social and popular
resistance have made it possible to limit the implementation of IMF
policies.

We salute the enormous and ongoing social and popular demonstrations against
the war in Iraq, the war against the Palestinian people, the resistance to
privatization of services, the FTAA, the WTO and its dictates and the “free”
trade agreements. And we make a call to sustain and multiply these actions.

The II International Forum for the Defense of Peoples Rights has been one
more step in the process to articulate resistance, common positions, and
unification of efforts to change these concepts and promote actions with new
forms of struggle and relations with governments, institutions and civil
society organizations. It has allowed us to renew our energy and commitment.
A campaign has been launched here seeking A MILLION SIGNATURES FOR HEALTH
NOW, to demand fulfillment by governments and the WHO of the Alma Ata
Declaration 25 years ago, by means of which they committed to provide Health
for All in the year 2000.
To sign, visit the site http://www.themillionsignaturecampaign.org

Due to all of the above, we believe it is absolutely necessary to develop a
process to build proposals and exchanges that come from the communities and
grassroots organizations, move to the municipal, state, national and
international levels, and conclude in the II Assembly and I World Forum for
Peoples Health in July 2004, that will allow for drawing conclusions,
building new proposals and allowing for concrete joint actions at all
levels. We therefore call on all organizations, individuals and institutions
who are committed to health and welfare to join this effort, organize your
own activities, spread the word, join efforts and make real our dream of
HEALTH FOR ALL NOW.

Information and adhesion to the Million Signatures Campaign and the
Convocatory for 2004.

info at iphcglobal.org	alames at movinet.com.uy 	armandon at portoweb.com.br

secretariat at phmovement.org

Porto Alegre, Brazil
22 de febrero de 2003