PHM-Exch> Fwd: Bulletin #58: Legal victories pave the way for health rights

Sat Sep 9 14:12:50 PDT 2023

This fortnight   Community health workers are the primary access point to
health care for thousands of people. Predominantly composed of women, this
workforce undertakes a wide range of responsibilities, encompassing
everything from vaccination to health education. In many countries, their
contributions to public health often go underappreciated. In a united
effort, community health workers in India, Nepal, and Pakistan have now
issued a joint call for recognition and fair compensation. In Sou

Bulletin #58: Legal victories pave the way for health rights
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/aa75e783?m=a33219b1-51ba-4205-9e52-d0a232aa67c2>
By People's Health Dispatch • 9 Sept 2023 View in browser
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This fortnight

Community health workers are the primary access point to health care for
thousands of people. Predominantly composed of women, this workforce
undertakes a wide range of responsibilities, encompassing everything from
vaccination to health education. In many countries, their contributions to
public health often go underappreciated. In a united effort, community
health workers in India, Nepal, and Pakistan have now issued a joint call
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/f070acd2?m=a33219b1-51ba-4205-9e52-d0a232aa67c2>for
recognition and fair compensation.

In South Africa
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/f131f45d?m=a33219b1-51ba-4205-9e52-d0a232aa67c2>,
a major triumph was accomplished by the right to health movement as the
Health Justice Initiative and affiliated organizations secured a pivotal
legal victory. A Pretoria court ruled in their favor, compelling the
Department of Health to disclose the contracts and proceedings of meetings
with COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers to the public. Preliminary analysis
aligns perfectly with the warnings expressed by health activists since the
onset of the pandemic – Big Pharma has employed all available means to
pressure national governments into agreements detrimental to the population
and public budgets.

Meanwhile, Mexico
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/5ac5fdef?m=a33219b1-51ba-4205-9e52-d0a232aa67c2>witnessed
an important ruling by its Supreme Court that decriminalized abortion, a
decision widely celebrated by the feminist movement and its supporters. At
the same time, Brazil's
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/020fc34e?m=a33219b1-51ba-4205-9e52-d0a232aa67c2>
Unified Health System grapples with ongoing challenges even as the Lula
administration attempts to counter the harmful policies enacted during the
Bolsonaro era. Among other issues, health activists emphasize the urgent
need to address widespread precarious contracts within the health sector.

In August 2023, the first global summit on ancestral medicine was jointly
hosted by the World Health Organization and India. Activists from the
People’s Health Movement engaged in a conversation
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/d1964260?m=a33219b1-51ba-4205-9e52-d0a232aa67c2>with
Vivian Camacho, a medical surgeon and specialist in interculturality and
health, bringing more on the developments within this field.

Across Europe, numerous campaigns are being rolled out to combat the
adverse consequences of health care commercialization. On September 7, a
Europe-wide campaign
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/36f96f9d?m=a33219b1-51ba-4205-9e52-d0a232aa67c2>was
announced, aiming to prioritize public health systems ahead of the 2024
European Parliament elections. Additionally, on September 11, more than 50
organizations in France
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/296afcdb?m=a33219b1-51ba-4205-9e52-d0a232aa67c2>will
launch a "Tour de France for Health" in opposition to the Macron
administration's intent to implement further cuts to health and social
budgets.
------------------------------
Featured articles

*Community health workers in South Asia forge joint struggle for rights and
recognition*
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/68aa4c5e?m=a33219b1-51ba-4205-9e52-d0a232aa67c2>

Frontline health workers have issued a joint document calling on
governments and international agencies to recognize and uphold their
essential rights

*Health activists reveal Big Pharma’s COVID-19 vaccine heist in South
Africa
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/86598d1b?m=a33219b1-51ba-4205-9e52-d0a232aa67c2>*

In a bid for transparency, health activists and civil society in South
Africa have published the details of COVID-19 vaccine contracts between
pharmaceutical giants and government. This follows a Pretoria High Court
order instructing the Department of Health to disclose the contracts and
proceedings of meetings pertaining to the procurement of vaccine doses

*Mexico’s Supreme Court decriminalizes abortion nationally in landmark
ruling*
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/ed3818fa?m=a33219b1-51ba-4205-9e52-d0a232aa67c2>

The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the sections of the Federal Penal
Code that criminalize women, pregnant persons, and healthcare professionals
for abortion are unconstitutional, thereby decriminalizing abortion at the
national level

*Combating precariousness in Brazil’s Unified Health System
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/f710131e?m=a33219b1-51ba-4205-9e52-d0a232aa67c2>*

Valuing health workers in Brazilian public health means strengthening the
health system. Social movements are rallying behind the agenda of a
guaranteed career path in the Unified Health System (SUS), demanding that
the government does the same

*Towards the recognition of Ancestral Medicine and popular knowledge
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/3dd85f72?m=a33219b1-51ba-4205-9e52-d0a232aa67c2>*

Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India, was the setting for the first global summit on
ancestral medicine organized by WHO and the Indian government in August
2023. Although it came as a surprise to some media, to others, it is a
further step in the recognition of traditional ancestral knowledge
------------------------------
Short reads

*A ‘Tour de France for Health’ in response to Macron’s austerity measures
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/098fefaa?m=a33219b1-51ba-4205-9e52-d0a232aa67c2>*

A coalition of trade unions, political parties, and associations is getting
ready to build a national campaign for a fair social security budget in
response to the Macron’s administration austerity policies

*Health activists announce European campaign against effects of
commodification of health
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/a86abaac?m=a33219b1-51ba-4205-9e52-d0a232aa67c2>*

A coalition of trade unions, health activists, and organizations launched
an all-European campaign against the commercialization of health. The
campaign will include decentralized discussions and actions across various
EU countries and will culminate in a major protest in the week leading up
to World Health Day
------------------------------
In case you missed it
Tamil Nadu PG Doctors Term Bond System ‘Exploitative’ | NewsClick
Doctors post-graduating in medicine from government colleges and without
postings must serve at government facilities for two years.
Newsclick•Sruti MD
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/62fe4e65?m=a33219b1-51ba-4205-9e52-d0a232aa67c2>
BMA: ‘If You Treat Us With Contempt, the Strikes Will Never End’
For the first time in NHS history, junior doctors and consultants will
coordinate strike action. The BMA sits down with Tribune to explain why
they are stepping up their fight for the future of the NHS.
•Robert Laurenson
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/2b793919?m=a33219b1-51ba-4205-9e52-d0a232aa67c2>
UN Draft Pandemic Declaration Offers ‘Little Hope’ For Strengthening Global
Preparedness - Health Policy Watch
The vague language and lack of real commitments in the UN’s draft pandemic
declaration are emblematic of the reasons for public frustration with the
Health Policy Watch•Stefan Anderson
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/20a51949?m=a33219b1-51ba-4205-9e52-d0a232aa67c2>
The Consequences of Israeli Human Rights Violations on the Health of Women
in the Gaza Strip | Report | רופאים לזכויות אדם
Palestinian women in the Gaza Strip have experienced multiple and recurrent
human rights violations due […] Read more >
רופאים לזכויות אדם•assaf
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/00b43a85?m=a33219b1-51ba-4205-9e52-d0a232aa67c2>
ASHAs in West Bengal’s Bankura Serve Despite Challenges, Meagre Salaries |
NewsClick
The Accredited Social Health Activists in Bankura’s Jangal Mahal area are
paid a monthly salary and incentives of only Rs 7,000.
Newsclick•Madhu Sudan Chatterjee
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/341ef832?m=a33219b1-51ba-4205-9e52-d0a232aa67c2>
Julio Monsalvo, PHM Argentina Circle: A History of Struggle | People’s
Health Movement
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