PHA-Exchange> In preparation of PHA II - part 8 (final)

[Claudio]

The People's Health Assembly itself was an unusual international health meeting expressing and symbolizing an alternative health and development culture of dialogue and celebration.
Another significant gain has been the translation of the People's Charter for Health into over 40 languages worldwide. These include Arabic, Bangla, Chinese, Danish, English, Farsi, Finnish, Flemish, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Kannada, Malayalam, Ndebele, Nepalese, Tagalo, Portuguese, Russian, Shona, Sinhala, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Tamil, Urdu, Ukrainian and now in the process in Tongan, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Welsh ,Thai, Cambodian, Vietnamese, Pastun, Dhari and Creole. An audio tape in English with Braille titles is also available. All these have been translated by volunteers, committed to the People's Health Movement.

 

Audio Visual aids including videos for public education, exhibitions, slides, and other forms of communication are now also available. The BBC Life Series video on "The Health Protesters" was a good example. 

The Movement itself has evolved a communications strategy which includes a website (www.phmovement.org ); the e-list server group for exchange and discussion (pha-exchange at kabissa,org); news briefs (nine since January 2001) and a host of press releases on a wide variety of themes and on special events and crises.

 

Presentations of the Peoples Health Charter, are constantly taking place in national, regional and international fora which have included the World Health Organization, the Global Forum for Health Research (GFHR - Forum 5 & 6) and the World Health Assembly. The development of a standing relationship between the PHM and WHO is particularly promising. In April 2001, the very effective and assertive in-house lobbying by a visiting PHM Consultant to a WHO research seminar resulted in the formation of the WHO Civil Society Initiative announced at the World Health Assembly, in May 2001. Six PHM leaders were invited to meet and dialogue with the Director General. By May 2002, the WHO's CSI invited PHM to present the People's Charter for Health as a Technical Briefing in the World Heath Assembly. 35 PHM members participated. In May 2003, over 80 PHM delegates from 30 countries attended the Assembly; made statements on Primary Health Care; TRIPS and other issues and were invited to meet the DG designate, who welcomed a greater dialogue with PHM members at all levels so that WHO could be in touch with the realities of the lives of the poor and the marginalized. The Assembly was preceded by a PHM Geneva meeting for the 25th Alma Ata Anniversary, which was attended by some WHO staff, including the PAHO Regional Director. These are all small, but incremental movements towards a critical collaboration of PHM with WHO!

 

In many countries of the world, emerging country level PHM circles are beginning to organize public meetings and campaigns which include taking health to the streets as a Rights issue. Discussions on the charter by professional associations and public health schools, articles and editorials in medical/health journals are also beginning to increase.

 

Policy dialogues and 'action research circles' on WHO/WHA; poverty and AIDS; women's access to heath; health research; access to essential drugs; macroeconomics and health; public-private partnerships; food and nutrition security issues  are beginning their work.

 

 In short, every day the list of follow-up actions increases.

 

Conclusion

·        To conclude, the People's Health Assembly and the People's Health Movement that  emerged from it have been a rather unprecedented development in the journey towards the 'Health for All' goal. The movement: 

a     encompasses a multi-regional, multi-cultural, and multi-disciplinary mobilization effort;

a     is bringing together the largest gathering of activists and professionals,  civil society representatives and the peoples representatives themselves, 

a     is working on global instruments to raise concern and the level of concrete actions, and 

a     is involved in solidarity with the health struggles of people, especially the poor and the marginalized affected by the current  global economic order. 

Recognizing that we need to carry out a continous, sustained, collective effort, the People's Health Movement process, through the People's Health Charter, reminds us that a long road lies ahead in the campaign for Health for All-Now!  

 

References:

1.      WHO - UNICEF (1978), 

Primary Health Care, Report of the International Conference on Primary Health Care, 6-12 September, 1978, Alma Ata - USSR.

2.      People's Health Movement (2002), 

Voices of the Unheard  - Testimonies from the People's Health Assembly, December 2000, GK Savar - Bangladesh.

3.      People's Health Assembly (2000a), 

People's Charter for Health, People's Health Assembly, 8 December 2000, GK Savar - Bangladesh.

4.      Schuftan, Claudio (2002),

The People's Health Movement (PHM) in 2002: Still at the fore front of the Struggle for "Health for All Now"; issue paper-2 for World Health Assembly, May 2002, People's Health Movement

5.      People's Health Assembly (2000b)

Discussion papers prepared by PHA Drafting group, PHA Secretariat, GK Savar, Dhaka -Bangladesh

6.      People's Health Assembly (2000c),

Health in the era of Globalization, From victims to protagonists - A iscussion paper by PGA Drafting group, PHA Secretariat, GK Savar, Dhaka - angladesh.

7.      Narayan, Ravi (2000)

The People's Health Assembly - A People's Campaign for Health for All Now, Asian Exchange Vol. 16, NO. 2., P-6-17, 2000

8.      Werner, David and Sanders, David (2000)

Liberation from What? A Critical reflection on the People's Health Assembly 2000, Asian Exchange, Vol. 16, No. 2., p 18-30, 2000

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