PHA-Exchange> (42) In preparatin of PHA2 July 2005 (2)

[Claudio]

From: Debabar Banerji 

I too had a number of points about the experience of the PHM in 2000-5. But the  extensive analysis in (42) left me dumbfounded. I agree fully with what is  said.I am glad that these views come on the eve of PHA-II. It has been very toughtful of our LatinAmerican colleagues to have thought about it as a follow-up of the Savar Assembly.I will merely comment on the `Movement' aspects of the PHM.

 1.There is virtually no `people's movement' in East Asia (including the giant China), South-East Asia, Central Asia, Africa and most of Latin America.

 2. In South Asia too, even if it is considered to have a health movement, has had little impact on countries like Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

 3.In India, even if one has reservations of calling it a `people's movement' the Jan Swasthya Andolan/PHM-India can claim credit for launcning movements in such crucial fields as the population control programme, working with the Indian Human Rights Commission to fight for health as a human right and more recently, the controversial case of launching of National Rural Health Mission by the government of India.

 4.Obviously, our comrades from the rich countries are very much a part of the PHM. However, they being more resouceful, ought not to give them an unfair advantage in influencing the PHM.

  a.Their participation in the fight against oppression and injustice in poor countries is most welcome.However, they sould be ever vigilant against starting to pontificate (without proper knowledge) and `save the wretched heathens from their doom'.
  b. They have their own poor in their countries to organise PHM, as was done by the March of the Poor in the US.

Ending with my response, I suggest that you think of writing a more detailed account on PHM for publication in a learned journal.

With regadrs,
D Banerji   

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