<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:large"><br></div>From: <b class="gmail_sendername" dir="auto">Baba Aye</b> <span dir="auto"><<a href="mailto:baba.aye@world-psi.org">baba.aye@world-psi.org</a>></span><br><div class="gmail_quote"><br><br>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“On the first day of the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s World Health Assembly, eight civil society organisations sent an open letter to Ms
<span>Zsuzsanna</span> <span>Jakab</span>, Deputy Director-General of the WHO. The letter raises concerns about a recent report published by the WHO that could encourage the privatisation of health care amidst a Covid-19 pandemic
that re-emphasised the challenges of commercialisation of healthcare systems, and without the necessary open debate that such an issue requires.<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is unacceptable at any time. It becomes even more worrisome that it is issued during the Covid-19 pandemic, which has shown that well-financed public healthcare is the only bulwark for realising the right to health.<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Its framing also goes against the spirit and letters of the WHO governing bodies resolutions on private sector engagement. The 63rd World Health Assembly (WHA) focus in 2010 was to strengthen the institutional capacity of governments to
regulate private providers to strengthen health systems delivery of essential healthcare services. That point was reiterated by the 65th WHA in 2012.<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is a far cry from the Strategy Report’s advocacy for “governance in mixed health systems”. Such an approach essentially equates private provision with public healthcare delivery. Further, it erodes the primary place of governments
as sovereign bodies who as duty-bearers, are responsible for delivery of health as an essential public good and human right.<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">From one step backwards to another, the Report paints a picture of the private sector’s positive role in cases it cites such as Lombardy in Italy, without pointing out controversies that have been raised with those same cases. The impact
of privatisation of health in the Lombardy region for example contributed significantly to weakening crisis preparedness when there was a Covid-19 surge in Italy last year, making Lombardy the epicentre in Italy, and globally at that point in time.<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The right to health can be guaranteed only as universal public health care. And any WHO strategy must be clearly aligned with realisation of the fundamental right to health. This is the point of departure for PSI and other CSOs case against
the PSE Strategy Report.”<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Read more >>><u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://publicservices.international/resources/news/who-private-sector-engagement-psi--other-csos-express-grave-concern?id=11843&lang=en" target="_blank">https://publicservices.international/resources/news/who-private-sector-engagement-psi--other-csos-express-grave-concern?id=11843&lang=en</a><u></u><u></u></p>
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