PHM-Exch> [PHM NEWS] PHM Europe

[Claudio Schuftan]

After April 7th, the action continues: "Spread the solidarity, not the
virus."

*"Let's confine finance and austerity!"*



*The European Network Against Commercialization and Privatization of Health
and Social Protection and the People's Health Movement welcomed the
convergence of 160 organisations across Europe under the motto "Let's
spread solidarity not the virus" on the occasion of the day of action
against the commercialisation of health on 7 April.*



Despite being confined to their homes, hundreds of people, individually and
collectively, joined the action, demonstrating the *people's strong support
for a public or non-profit health system that serves the population*. Find
the *interactive map of the 7 April* action by following the link
here: *bit.ly/Agir4Health
<http://bit.ly/Agir4Health>*



In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the decentralized actions of 7
April have also shown that health workers, patients, activists, and many
others agree:



1. Immediate *human and material resources* to fight the pandemic and
protect people's health in the future: recruitment and training of health
personnel, urgent staffing and stockpile management of materials are needed
to deal with crisis situations.



2. *Austerity policies and increasing marketisation*, which have led to the
systematic dismantling of public health systems in Europe and the lack of
qualified staff in hospitals, retirement homes and the social sector, *should
be abandoned once and for all.*



3. *Medicines and protective equipment have to be developed and produced in
the interest of public health*, not to foster the profits of the industry.
Effective and safe medications, protective equipment and vaccines for
prevention and treatment of Covid 19, must be available for free to people
no matter where they live, without out-of-pocket expenditures and paid for
by national health systems at fair prices.



*Once the pandemic is over, the struggle to achieve “Health for All” will
continue*. The idea of Health for All encompasses not only a vision of
comprehensive health care equally accessible to everyone but also the idea
of a world rooted in harmony, equity, and solidarity. This is why we reject
the current economic model of the EU, which is based on austerity, not
solidarity.



We demand a *radical reorientation of public funds* towards the basic
rights of the population, such as employment, decent wages and housing,
education, energy, food and water.



To achieve this, let us *confine the financial markets*. We must steer away
from brutal fiscal policies such as those we experienced in the previous
crisis. The 750 billion euros from the European Central Bank (ECB) should
not be used to feed the financial markets but to finance the social and
ecological needs of the people; it should be focused on protecting and
advancing the physical, mental and social well-being of all. Tax evasion
must be combated and heavily punished.



Instead of systems faithful to market logic and uncontrolled competition,
we need to drive a transition towards a *socially and ecologically just and
responsible world.* The needs and organisation of care systems should be
under the direct democratic control of citizen committees and coordinated
at all levels of society.



Therefore, we urge the European states to adopt a more sustained strategy
to negotiate the *prices of medicines, medical devices and vaccines*. If
the pharmaceutical industry insists on setting unduly high prices, patent
rights must be revoked. Similarly, production of medicines and medical
devices and stockpiles must be under the control of the public authorities;
in the event of a break in manufacture or supply, patents must be revoked.
Moreover, we demand the allocation of necessary funds for public and
independent pharmacological research. It is important in the near future to
set up a strategy to move towards a coordinated and socialized public
European space of research and production of new drugs.



Finally, we need to *support and ensure the success of the mobilisation of
health and other essential workers* that over the last months have been
working tirelessly to protect our health and lives in the face of
inadequate personal protection and, very often, inhumane working hours.



This is why the European Network, the People's Health Movement, and all
signatory organizations call for *unitary responses on the local, national,
and international level to build a "Day After" that will break with the
liberal recipes of the past. *



We propose to the social movement as a whole to *set a date in September
2020 as the first international initiative* for the expression of our
demands.



LET US FIGHT TOGETHER FOR A STRONG UNIVERSAL PUBLICLY FUNDED HEALTH SYSTEM
CAPABLE OF DEALING WITH HEALTH CRISES TODAY AND TOMORROW



*At the initiative of *

European Network against the Privatization and Commercialization of Health
and Social Protection

http://europe-health-network.net/ - europeanhealthnetwork at gmail.com -
+32499 42 44 48



People’s Health Movement

https://phmovement.org/ - ana at phmovement.org
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