PHM-Exch> PHM press statement (WHA 2009, May 18): "Declare Global economic downturn a health emergency!"

[suwit at health.moph.go.th]

The Thai government decided last month to reduce the 2010 overall public budget
by 13% but to increase the budget for the universal health insurance by almost
10%. This is mainly to protect the health of the poor and those who will be
unemployed. Hope that this can be a good example for the PHM to use for its
movement.

Suwit

Quoting jmukherjee at pih.org:

 So, let's move thousands of people into the streets...we ( a group of PHM ,
 HIV and MHC activists and others) are going to start working on this...18
 months from now, we want 100,000 people on the mall...





 Joia S. Mukherjee, MD, MPH

 Medical Director, Partners In Health

 Director, Institute for Health and Social Justice

 Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School

 Division of Global Health Equity

 Brigham and Women's Hospital

 800 Boylston St.

 Boston, MA 02199

 phone: +1 617-432-3735

 fax: +1 617-432-6045

 www.pih.org



 From: phm-exchange-bounces at phm.phmovement.org
 [mailto:phm-exchange-bounces at phm.phmovement.org] On Behalf Of Ted Schrecker
 Sent: Sunday, May 17, 2009 6:32 PM
 To: 'Claudio Schuftan'; 'pha-exchange'
 Subject: Re: PHM-Exch>PHM press statement (WHA 2009, May 18): "Declare Global
 economic downturn a health emergency!"



 Dear Colleagues,



 Although I could not agree more strongly with the substance of the communiqu้
 below, might I add a note of caution about the language of "demands"?



 Social movements are most effective in articulating their objectives as
 "demands" when they can bring tens/hundreds of thousands of people into the
 streets, or can exercise some analogously strong influence within the more
 rarefied context of multilateral fora such as WHA.  Can PHM realistically
 claim to be able to do this?  If not, then I suggest moderating the language,
 although not of course the underlying ethical argument.



 In solidarity,



 Ted Schrecker



 From: phm-exchange-bounces at phm.phmovement.org
 [mailto:phm-exchange-bounces at phm.phmovement.org] On Behalf Of Claudio Schuftan
 Sent: May 17, 2009 1:50 PM
 To: pha-exchange
 Subject: PHM-Exch> PHM press statement (WHA 2009, May 18): "Declare Global
 economic downturn a health emergency!"





 From: <unnikru at yahoo.com>
 and: secretariat at phmovement.org,

 For immediate circulation:

 Press Release: Geneva , 18 May, 2009

 "Declare Global economic downturn a health emergency!"



 "Economic Recession is a threat to the world's health"



 The People's Health Movement urges the World Health Organization and member
 governments to "declare the economic recession currently gripping the globe as
 a health emergency".

 Health activists gathered here in Geneva for the World Health Assembly (18-22
 May) are expected to lobby the UN health body and governments to declare
 global downturn a health emergency.

 People's Health Movement (PHM) is a global coalition of grass root health
 workers, health professionals, human rights, peace and social activists.

 "Recession is hitting the poor people hard and their health and survival" said
 a PHM spokesperson.

 "While it is too early to make a rigorous assessment, recession's potential
 impact on health is much greater than that of 'Swine flu', through impacts on
 poverty and social spending".

 "The current paradigm of 'development' has aggravated poverty and ill-health
 for the poor, especially in the global south", said Prof. David Sanders, a
 public health expert from South Africa . "The current financial crisis will
 worsen this", he said.

 "Donors need to place health needs of poor people at the centre of their
 response strategies" said Dr. Zafrullah Chowdhury from Bangladesh . Dr.
 Chowdhury, a leading advocate for affordable health care for poor people from
 Bangladesh , urged donors to do a 'reality check' and shred what he alleged
 was their 'imperial attitude'.

 PHM warns that the financial crisis is likely to result in greater dependence
 of southern countries on donor assistance.

 Previous precedents indicate that the effects of the global crisis will be
 quickly felt by the poor, across the globe. Focussing on a few priority
 diseases will further amplify the health challenges for the poor people.

 Consider the facts:

 *	50 million workers may lose jobs if the economic crisis worsens, warns the
 International Labour Organization.
 *	The UN and all its agencies and funds spend about $20 billion each year or
 about $3 for each person in the world. In contrast, Global military
 expenditure in 2007 was US $ 1339 billion or about US $202 for each person in
 the world.
 *	Over 1 billion people across the globe go hungry every day. One in five
 people in developing countries is chronically undernourished



 *	Every day, almost 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes - one child
 every five seconds.



 *	The crisis undermines human rights. UN Human Rights Council expressed "grave
 concern" that the crises threatens to undermine the achievement of the
 internationally agreed development goals including the Millennium Development
 Goals.

 "The loss of livelihoods, impending cutbacks in welfare spending and
 intensified food crisis for the world's poor is going to result in a
 significant increase in avoidable deaths around the world" said Dr. Amit
 Sengupta, a leading health analyst from India . In India , 80 percent of
 expenditure on healthcare is through out-of-pocket payments.

 Loss of jobs or income could leave a vast majority of these unable to pay for
 their treatment.

 "It is time to shift gears. The current situation demonstrates the need for a
 new world health order and a new approach to development", said David
 Woodward, a development economist from the United Kingdom . It is essential
 that poor people are put at the centre of this new order, he said. Typically
 those in poor, developing countries are likely to suffer the most.

 The PHM demands immediate measures by the international community and
 individual governments:

 a)      To ensure adequate resources made available to revitalise public
 health systems. Pay urgent attention to the needs of the poor rather than the
 revival of failed big commercial banks.

 b)      To allocate funds for the restoration of jobs and livelihood
 opportunities in low income communities.

 c)      To strengthen social welfare programs in developing countries and for
 homeless and unemployed people in developed countries, and not to use the
 economic crisis downturn as an excuse to cut funds of welfare related
 programmes.

 Bridget Lloyd, Global co-ordinator: People's Health Movement.

 For media enquiries: E-mail: secretariat at phmovement.org
 <http://uk.mc506.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=secretariat@phmovement.org>  /
 media at phmovement.org
 <http://uk.mc506.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=media@phmovement.org>   Mobile :
 +41 76 753 2979








*********************************
Dr. Suwit  Wibulpolprasert
Senior Advisor on Disease Control
Ministry of Public Health, Thailand

5th Floor, Building 1,
Office of Permanent Secretary
Ministry of Public Health
Tiwanond Road,
Nonthaburi 11000, Thailand
Tel. (66-2) 5901122, 5901113
Fax. (66-2) 5918513
Mobile: (66-81) 8236517
Email: suwit at health.moph.go.th