PHA-Exchange> Health and the Southern Africa Social Forum

[claudio at hcmc.netnam.vn]

from cwgh at mweb.co.zw> -----
    Date: Wed, 9 Nov 2005 16:35:53 +0200
    
Herebelow please find the resolutions passed by the Health Civil Society
from East and Southern Africa hosted by the Community Working Group on
Health (CWGH) during the Southern Africa Social Forum.


Health civil society groups in Zimbabwe and east and southern Africa, 
recognising the initiative of health civil society in the region met in Harare 
on the 13th of October 2005 to discuss our struggles for health. We agreed on 
the following resolutions.

We are united, together with health civil society in the region, around the 
core principles and values of: 
•	the fundamental right to health and life
•	equity and social justice
•	people-led and people-centred health systems
•	public over commercial interests in health (health before profits)
•	people-led and grassroots-driven regional integration.

To take these values forward we are reclaiming the state in health and have 
identified the following priorities:
1. Building a national people’s health system
2. Organising people’s power for health
3. Having adequate fairly treated health workers
4. Sufficient and equitable funding of our health systems
5. Global solidarity for economic and trade justice.

Within these areas we resolve that:

BUILDING A NATIONAL PEOPLE’S HEALTH SYSTEM
1. We are struggling to build an integrated health systems underpinned by the 
principles of equity that addresses of our lives, not just our illnesses and 
that keeps us healthy.
2. We will link, network and foster strategic alliances with partners, inside 
and outside the health sector, to develop a unified voice. 

ORGANISING PEOPLE’S POWER FOR HEALTH
3. We are organising people’s power to amplify our voice, claim our right to 
health and control our resources for health.

HAVING ADEQUATE, FAIRLY TREATED HEALTH WORKERS
4. Our health systems need adequate, well-trained and fairly distributed health 
workers at all levels of our health systems in places where people need them 
most.
5. Health workers in the public sector need to be motivated through decent 
conditions, training, incentives, living wages and safe work environments, in a 
way that promotes gender-equity.

SUFFICIENT AND EQUITABLE FUNDING OF OUR HEALTH SYSTEMS 
6.  We demand sustained increased investments in the public sector in health. 
We expect our governments to meet their Abuja commitment to spend at least 15% 
of government spending in health.
7. We demand an end to African wealth unfairly flowing out of the continent so 
that we have the resources for our health.
8. We demand an end to unfair charges on poor people for health.

GLOBAL SOLIDARITY FOR ECONOMIC AND TRADE JUSTICE 
9. We expect our parliamentarians to ensure our countries have the independence 
and sovereignty to protect our right to health.
10. We remind those who go to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) that: “No deal 
is better than a bad deal.”

We as health civil society, together with all other progressive forces in 
society in the region, are taking forward the struggle. We call on our global 
partners to support us in this struggle!






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