PHM-Exch> [PHM News] PHM India 2013 Report

[Claudio Schuftan]

*Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA) India*



*Brief report on JSA activities*

*Sarojini N*

*Steering Committee Member, India*

*(February 2013 to January 2014)*



Actions by JSA, both at the National and at various State levels were able
to consolidate  the movement for Health for All in India.  This report provides
an overview of the activities carried out during the period of Februrary
2013 to January 2014. These activities took forward the campaigns on issues
and concerns that had been initiated  in the past as well as initiating
campaigns on  emerging issues.



The main strategies used by JSA included (a) advocacy and policy
engagement; (b) capacity building and (c) monitoring of government schemes
and programmes, and focused on the following areas / issues:



a)    Access to Health Care

b)    Access to free Medicines

c)    Privatiz*a*tion of Health Services in public Sector

d)    Regulation of private health sector by government

e)    Urban Health

f)     Monitoring/critique of National programmes/Government schemes

g)    Women’s health and rights

h)    Other important issues



*At the National level*

The following were some of the areas / campaigns undertaken:

-       Policy monitoring and engagement by inputting into the national
urban health policy / programme.

-       Campaign for Access to Free Medicines.

-       Policy engagement on Clinical Establishment Act (towards state
regulation of the private health sector).

-       Regulation of Clinical trials in India.



* State level*



a.    *Access to Medicine*



Following activities were conducted by JSA Rajasthan to build campaign and
understanding of the issue related to the access to medicine.



·      Workshop on "Dynamics of Making Essential Medicines Available and
Affordable to All Citizens".

·      A half day workshop on "Making Essential Medicines Available and
Affordable to All Citizens" as a part of continuing medical education.



JSA Rajasthan took this initiative forward and campaigned for access to
free diagnostic medical tests. As a result of the campaign,  Rajasthan
Government launched free medical testing scheme from April 7, 2013 (World
Health Day) initially in medical colleges, district hospitals and satellite
hospitals under which all the basic medical tests (urine, blood etc) and
also tests like ECG, X-ray, sonography will be made free for everybody.



*b.    * *Access to Health Care*



Delhi JSA did an assessment of access to healthcare for the Delhi’s
marginalized people from the various colonies of Delhi.



*c.    **Privatization of health services in public Sector*



Karnataka JSA conducted protests campaign Against Government’s Move towards
‘Universal Health Care Pvt. Ltd.’ Further they did a campaign Against
Privatization of Health Care in 7 districts.



Protest rally against privatization of health care in Udupi district



Chhattisgarh JSA mobilised protests against Chhattisgarh Govt's plan of
privatising diagnostic services- Silent protest rally, press conference,
letter to the Governor, discussed the issue with local residents,
villagers, health staff, media and government officials were organized.



Protest rally against the outsourcing of diagnostics in Chhattisgarh



*d.    **Monitoring/critique of National programmes/Government schemes*



JSA Karnataka prepared a draft note on Planning Commission report. It also
prepared preliminary draft on critique of the National Urban Health Mission.



JSA Chhattisgarh prepared comments on recommendations on "Development
Challenges Specific to Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups”



Delhi JSA organized a discussion on National Urban Health Mission
components and its formation.



*e.    **Regulation of private health sector by government *



Maharashtra JSA campaigned for need for a Maharashtra State Act to regulate
private hospitals.



Chhattisgarh JSA organized a regional workshop on ‘Promoting patients’
rights and ensuring social accountability and rationalization of care in
the private medical sector’. The state Clinical Establishment Act of
Chhattisgarh was discussed here.



*f.     **Campaign for women’s rights and health*



JSA Rajasthan was signatory to the petition to Justice Verma Committee to
bring new legislation titled 'Rajasthan Women (Prevention of Atrocities)
Bill 2012' which will be enacted through an ordinance immediately. Further,
a state level consultation to discuss and highlight different
characteristics relating to women’s health- current status of maternal
health in the state, to present and discuss accounts of maternal deaths,
hysterectomies and the issue of surrogacy in terms of reproductive health
rights, issues related to declining child sex ratio, how provision of free
treatment and free medicine is going to impact maternal health in the state
was conducted by JSA Rajasthan. Further, a consultation on “Understanding
the Reasons for Rising Numbers of Hysterectomies in India” was conducted to
understand the issues of rising hysterectomies.



*g.    **Building political will for health*



Close to 500 People from ccross the State gathered at Jan Swasthya Abhiyan
Rajasthan to call for political parties to include health demands in
election manifestos.



As the Delhi state election was in December a charter of demands was
prepared focusing on the issues and concerns related to public health.
State level meeting was conducted for the finalization of the charter of
demands and it was circulated to political parties to incorporate into
their election manifesto by Delhi JSA.



*h.    **Other important issues*



Following activities were conducted on other important issues



·      Maharashtra JSA organized a state level activity to press for urgent
action on important policy demands regarding Health services and Food
security in Maharashtra. Prompt action on demands like ‘No cash transfer
instead of PDS’



Dharna Manch in Maharashtra



·      JSA Karnataka organized medical support to the families evicted from
a 15 acre site in Bangalore. Residents were evicted by the private
contractor, Maverick Holdings.

·      Maharashtra JSA organized a mass protest in Pune to demand social
services and social security for all.





·      Odisha JSA sent an Open Letter to the Prime Minister of India- over
the recent attacks on the people of two villages of Jagatsinghpur District
who have been using the most democratic means to resist the forceful
acquisition of their lands for the POSCO project.

·      JSA Karnataka sent a Press release condemning the arrest of Madhuri
from the Adivasi Dalit group Sanghatan in Madhya Pradesh and demanded her
immediate release.

·      State level seminars on Clinical Establishment Act in the context of
private sector regulation were organized across different states  Punjab,
Delhi, Chhattisgarh, etc.



*Other activities by JSA*



*Networking, mobilization strategies at National, State and District level*



JSA continued to mobilize newer organizations and networks to join in its
campaigns – from different parts of the country, representing organizations
and movements working in the health sector, trade unions, and other
movements. This was done through meetings, conventions and workshops at the
national, state and district levels.



JSA has also organized a  lecture on "The Global Health Crisis" by
Professor David Sanders in Delhi.

*Communications, Functioning, Areas of Improvement and Strengthening*



State chapters updated other states about the activities through emails.
However, efforts to strengthen the co-ordination between Network partners,
the Secretariat and the national coordination group is necessary.  State
level mobilization and strengthening of state JSAs is another key area to
be addressed.   There is need to build capacities and resources on newer
and emerging issues, issues such violence against women, etc.



*Future Plans*



·      As  General Elections are due in 2014, it is planned to build
campaign towards preparing a charter of demands related to health by
various state JSAs as well as by the national JSA. It is planned to submit
these manifestos to the political parties in order to centre stage health
as an important agenda for the election as well as following the elections..

·      The future plans include strengthening of the state JSA secretariats
and ensuring better coordination and communication between different state
chapters.

·      Addressing newer issues and challenges, planning strategies –rising
communalism, clinical trials, violence against women

·      Strengthening and linking with other social movements



*PHM Global and PHM India*



The activities of the global PHM are shared with all the members of the JSA
and networks to build support for the global level issues and build
movements around those issues at the local level.



The Gender Health Justice Circle of the PHM being coordinated by Sama here
in India has flagged important issues such as abortion rights, gender based
violence, maternal health, etc. However, the circle needs to be expanded
for wider and regular interface on these and other issues. This is being
done over the following months.



An IPHU with a focus on Gender Health Justice is being discussed by Sama
with Arrow (Malaysia) in the latter half of 2014, for which, planning and
resource mobilization will be followed up in the next months.
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