<div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">The Global Crisis and People’s Health <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></B></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; tab-stops: 312.75pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count:
1"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">The month of July ended with news on climate change, war, violence, militarization and emergence of new forms of diseases.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in
0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">Parts of eastern <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Bangladesh</st1:place></st1:country-region> have been devastated by the worst floods in these countries’ history, killing more than 2,000 people. Millions more have been left homeless, without any adequate supplies of food, water, and medicines.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in
0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">The WHO explains that climate change has direct impacts on people’s health in terms of<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>temperature-related illness and death, the health impacts of extreme weather events, and the effects of air pollution in the form of spores and moulds. Other impacts follow more intricate pathways such as those that give rise to water- and food-borne diseases; vector-borne and rodent-borne diseases; or food and water shortages.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">Doctors warn that people’s health is more at risk now with the reemergence of old types of diseases in newer and
virtually untreatable forms while there were also 19 new diseases discovered recently.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">Indeed, all parts of the world are vulnerable to climate change but developing countries tend to suffer more since these are not prepared for potential environmental and health-related impacts.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">While South Asia reels from floods, the
<st1:country-region w:st="on">United States of America</st1:country-region> is more focused in another equally devastating thing – a $50-billion aid to <st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Saudi Arabia</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Kuwait</st1:place></st1:country-region> that could include the latest weaponry and other means of mass destruction.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">Already, the cost of the US-Iraq war is more than $100 billion, an amount that would provide one year of health care for 30 million children. <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></div> <div
class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">In a forum on The Global Crisis and People’s Health, held in Balay Kalinaw at the University of the Philippines in Diliman last July 31, health activists pointed out that further militarization pose the greatest threat to health and peace. “Under the guise of a ‘war on terror’, the <st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region> is trying to enforce global hegemony at a terrifying cost to people’s health,” said Dr. Edelina dela Paz, the coordinator of People’s Health Movement (PHM) in the <st1:country-region w:st="on">Philippines</st1:country-region> and <st1:place w:st="on">Southeast Asia</st1:place>. <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN:
0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">“All these are for the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">USA</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s quest for non-renewable resources. For instance, the <st1:country-region w:st="on">US</st1:country-region> appeases <st1:country-region w:st="on">Sudan</st1:country-region> for the sake of oil, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Afghanistan</st1:country-region> because of the riches of Central Asia and most blatantly <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Iraq</st1:country-region></st1:place> only because of its oil resource”, said Dr. Prem Chandran John, the co-chair of the Global Steering Council of PHM.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN:
justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">According to Dr. Prem John, the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">USA</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s desire to rule the world is worrisome for global health conditions. He cited that the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">USA</st1:place></st1:country-region>, which only has the world’s 6% population, is using 28% of the world’s resources.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">Dr. Prem John mentioned the Titanic
Syndrome, likening the world to a sinking ship that has no enough lifeboats. He explained, “The US and its allies rule the world economy for their own good and only incidentally for the benefit of others. And the weak will invariably drown.” <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">The Filipinos’ Health and Government Neglect<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></I></B></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">With all the global issues on climate change and <STRONG><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">US-led wars of aggression, the Filipinos</SPAN> </STRONG>are not spared from suffering and death.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">Year after year, health care for most Filipinos has become more difficult, expensive and inaccessible.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">Mr. Sonny Africa, the research coordinator of Ibon Foundation, revealed that <SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic">69 million Filipinos </SPAN>(80% of population) struggle to survive on P96 or less a day (US$2). No wonder about half of the Filipino population (<SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic">46 million) go hungry everyday and are </SPAN>unable to meet minimum nutritional needs. <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">In addition to this, <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place> also cited that 67% of <SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">Filipinos die without
getting any medical attention. Not only because poor Filipinos cannot afford medical care and services, but also the country has shortage of medical professionals. The <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Philippines</st1:place></st1:country-region> is the number one exporter of nurses worldwide. Because of low wages and benefits for health professionals, many of them opt to work abroad for greener pasture. Data shows that </SPAN>85% of Filipino nurses work abroad in some 50 countries. Since 2003, around 3,000 doctors went abroad as nurses. <SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">From 2003-2005, </SPAN>200 hospitals completely closed and 800 partially closed<SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold"> for lack of doctors/nurses.</SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><FONT face="Times New Roman"><st1:place w:st="on"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Africa</SPAN></st1:place><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"> blamed the worsening state neglect on health as a major cause of poor health situation. The government allocates a very minimum budget on health. The country’s health budget is a mere 0.3% of its GDP, way below the World Health Organization-prescribed 5%. In terms of total expenditure on health, out of the 192 countries, the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Philippines</st1:place></st1:country-region> ranks 174<SUP>th</SUP>. The government’s total health expenditure is only 3.4% while in terms of private expenditure, the country ranks 39<SUP>th<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SUP>with about 60% of health expenditures coming from private sector.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN:
justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">In the midst of Filipino suffering, <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place> pointed out that the n<SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic">et worth of 10 richest Filipinos reaches to </SPAN>US$12.4 billion in 2006. This is equivalent to combined annual income of poorest 9,600,000 families (approximately 49 million Filipinos). <SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">Health crisis and conditions is even worst for the country’s basic sectors (peasants, workers, informal workers…)<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">Pharmaceutical firms also rake in big profit at the expense of people’s health. The top 10 pharmaceutical firms in the country have a total of <SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">P58.5 billion</SPAN> in revenues as cost of medicines remains to be high and unaffordable among the poor.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><I><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></I></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">And what more can we expect from the government when in fact its priorities is not catering to uplift the health situation of the poor people. Of the supposedly <SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">P13.5 billion</SPAN> budget for health in
2006, <SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">9.1% (P1.3 billion</SPAN>) goes to the improvement of two military hospitals. Furthermore, the government allows the privatization of public hospitals to promote “medical tourism” which aims to lure rich people from other nations to come to the <st1:country-region w:st="on">Philippines</st1:country-region> for their medical care and at the same time promote tourism of the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Philippines</st1:place></st1:country-region>. <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">Plea for Health<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></I></B></div>
<div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></div> <div style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">PHM calls for a humane society that guarantees the <STRONG><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">people's right to health. Members of PHM which is composed of h</SPAN></STRONG></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">ealth activists from different countries initiated “The Right to Health Campaign.” This international campaign calls for action on the widening global health gap between the rich and the poor. PHM expresses grief over the deteriorating health conditions and inequities in the vast majority of the world’s population.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></div> <div style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;
TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">The PHM forum was also held in different Southeast Asian cities such as <st1:City w:st="on">Bangkok</st1:City>, <st1:City w:st="on">Jakarta</st1:City>, <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Hanoi</st1:place></st1:City> and Phom Penh as part of strengthening of the PHM in the Southeast Asian region. The Health Action Information Network (HAIN) and the Council for Health and Development organized the forum in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Philippines</st1:place></st1:country-region>. <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></div> <div
class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">For more information, contact PHM-Philippines secretariat (HAIN) at 952-6312 or 9526409, </FONT><A href="mailto:hain@hain.org"><FONT face="Times New Roman">hain@hain.org</FONT></A><o:p></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></div><p>
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