South America - Regional Activities
& Local events
June 2002
In Latin America, Shortly after the PHA, the Spanish-speaking
participants, mostly from Latin America, set up an electronic list serve
to continue to share with one another. It is called
REDLATINAMERICANASALUD or Latin American Health Network.
Many people in Latin America, in those countries that had
representation at the PHA, have been involved in discussions
about the event, and especially about the People’s
Charter for Health. These events have taken place in local
communities and in national and regional events. Documents
and press reports have resulted from these events.
Many people know about the PHA and about the Charter
and are looking for ways to make it relevant to their local
situations.
One significant result of some of these activities and
discussions, is that health activists have decided to work
on building awareness of the effects of the Free Trade
Agreement for the Americas (FTAA) on the health of the
people. The FTAA goes beyond the WTO!
Two people represented the PHA at the Social Forum in
Puerto Alegre, Brazil. They were able to distribute the
Charter at the Forum and make many contacts at different
workshops and events. Julio Monsalvo from Argentina has
written an inspiring report that is being translated into
English at present. It will be available very soon.
June 12 -14, 2001
The Second Regional Forum on Popular Health, in Cuenca, Ecuador.
An exchange of opinions and numerous presentations were
delivered at the II Regional Forum on Popular Health held in Cuenca,
Ecuador. The main topic was Globalization, Health and Human Development.
Among the speakers was Dr. Arturo Quizphe, dean of the Faculty of Medicine
of the University of Cuenca and also South American Regional Coordinator of
the International Peoples Health Council (IPCH). In his speech on Globalization,
Health and Development, he pointed out that in no other field than in
the health sector are the consequences of globalization, dominated by the
voracity of capitalism more evident in human suffering. The goal of
achieving “health for all” is ever more distant. At the same time,
poverty and illness reduction goals and strategies promoted by international
organizations have failed. In today’s globalized world:
- One of every five people in the world lives in absolute poverty,
earning less than a dollar per day, totalling a trillion people while a
trillion and half are unemployed .
- One of every four people lack clean water and never visit a
doctor; 800 million people are undernourished.
- A thousand million people in the world live in miserable housings
conditions, a hundred million live in the street.
It’s a lie when they say economic growth brings human
development. What has really happened is that the south has transferred
wealth to the north; high poverty, illness and mortality rates have
continued. In this imposed development model, wealth is concentrated in some
few hands.
The health sector reforms which are being carried out in
many countries seek at all costs to transform Health, a Social Right and
Public Good into a Individual Responsibility and a merchandise. Under the
neoliberal point of view, health is no longer a universal right and a
responsibility of the State to provide. It is meant to become a merchandise
that individuals have to acquire. “Health for all” should constitute a reality that can
be achieved through a genuine participatory democracy, where people have the
power to make decisions. This is totally feasible only under equity that
assures equal opportunity rights and the satisfaction of the basic needs.
The demands for total government responsibility regarding the provision of
health is only possible with the participation of the people in the
decisions that affect their lives.
I
f global policies continue to be dictated by the
economic interests of corporations and wealthy national groups, peoples’
economic conditions and their health will continue to deteriorate at a fast
rate. To really change this situation, it is necessary that these
transformations be driven by popular movements who have to unify their
struggle and dreams, and find creative means to confront the structures of
power. This must be done without loosing sight of the real enemies.
We cannot continue repeating recipes imposed from the
centres of power, we cannot continue spending the few resources trying to
legitimate solutions that have been created by dominant groups.
If we accept this option, in practice we will be
recognizing the need of structural adjustments policies, which are socially
criminal, we will be accepting inequality and poverty like unchangeable
facts of life. If we accept the increase of inequality conditions in the
world and that poverty cannot be corrected, we will also affirm that “health
for all” cannot be a reality.
We have to convince ourselves that dignity in human life
is not foreseen in the globalization plan and that this system is based on
an antihuman and repressive philosophy. It is time for us all to unite in
this difficult but beautiful battle for a wide, integral strategy that
rescues the power of the people for their health and well-being.
May 2001
The Latin American
participants at the PHA-2000 event in Dhaka have
developed a loose e-mail network in Spanish for the
people from the region and others with interest in and
connections with Latin America. If anyone is interested,
one may contact at the following network
REDLATINOAMERICANASALUD@yahoogroups.com
Julio Monsalvo from Argentina has written two extensive
articles published in the El Medico, a publication of the
Institute for Popular Culture, which is sent to over 15,000
professionals. The articles have been also reproduced
on the Internet. In June 2001, there will be seminar on
“Globalization, Health and Development” in Ecuador, involving persons
who participated at the PHA-2000 event.
2000
The Cuenca Forum in Ecuador invited health workers and
speakers representing a range of indigenous groups from
the central highlands, the coastal tropics, and the headwaters
of the Amazon. Speakers included shamen (medicine men) from the
Shuar tribes in the eastern jungles, activists working for the rights of
women trying to migrate to the United States, community health
workers from underprivileged communities, and activists struggling
to defend the tropical forests and their inhabitants from the devastating
onslaught of multinational oil companies. One of the outcomes
of the Cuenca Forum was the beginning of a plan to form an Association
of Community-based Health Programs in Ecuador. Some of
the programs had come to Cuenca from distant corners of the
country, and most had been unaware of the existence of other
programs. Meeting together and sharing common concerns motivated
the group to form an association, with the idea that
“In unity lies strength.” The formation of such an
association will enhance the ability of the diverse
health workers and programs to follow
through of the “actions for change”
formulated at the People’s Health
Assembly in December. Contact
Maria Hamlin Zuniga at:
iphc@cisas.org.ni
Fax: + (505) 2 662 225 or
Arturo Quizhpe at:
aquizhpe@yahoo.com
Fax: + (593) 7 841 865.
In South America, local level activities have been organised
in Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru. Inputs from various
groups will feed into the regional forum for popular health
planned for 25-29 September in Cuenca, Ecuador. For more
information, pls contact Arturo Quizhpe, regional coordinator
for South America (see contact list).
The Regional Committee for the Promotion of Community
Health, established in 1975 has survived through armed
conflict in countries of Central America. Today 25 years
later, she celebrates the 25th anniversary of people’s
struggles built on the collective work in the regions of
Mexico, Central America and the Spanish speaking
Caribbean. The Regional People’s Health
Assembly, the meeting point of the
various regional preparatory activities,
will be held in Guatemala from 9-
15 October. This Assembly
will see the selection
of stories, case
studies,
photographs,
videos,
posters,
drama,
etc. for
the
Assembly
in Savar.
The Civil
Society Forum in collaboration with the Nicaraguan
University of the Atlantic Coast will be hosting a
forum on Health Care Reform and how it is affecting
community health workers. Presentations from this
forum will feed into the regional assembly above.
The PHA process has been widely shared with 180
community health workers from 23 language groups
in Guatemala. A group of women in Brazil will be
preparing stories and workshop on community
health work in their region of Brazil. For more
information, pls contact Maria Hamlin Zuniga,
regional coordinator of Central America and the
Caribbean (see contact list).
2000
The coordinating committee in South America has been formed,
consisting of medical academics, rural and community professionals,
popular leader, health workers. Links with organisations viz.
EPES in Chile, INCUPO in Argentina, Association of Ecuadorian
Faculties of Medicine (AFEME), medical schools, people’s popular
organisations and health organisations in Colombia and Peru have
been established. The Association of Faculties of Medicine of
Ecuador is distributing information on the PHA to the Federation of
Faculties of Medicine of Latin America. Contact Arturo Quizphe,
regional coordinator of South America.
The Ecuadorian national mass media has been used to communicate
information about the PHA. Currently a database of the
principal mass media in the neighbouring countries is being
prepared and updated.
The Regional Committee for the Promotion of Community Health
(which works in the regions of Mexico, Central America and the
Spanish speaking Caribbean) celebrates its 25th Anniversary this
year. This network has been working on monitoring health care
reforms and its impacts on local communities and health promoters.
In conjunction with this landmark occassion, the regional
committee has lined up a number of country and regional meetings
from June-November, working within the framework of Health for
All and the People’s Health Assembly. For details of these meetings,
contact Maria Hamlin-Zuniga, regional coordinator for
Central America.
PHA materials are being distributed through the national organisations
of the Regional Committee. The draft outline of the PCH has
been translated and is being widely shared with network groups.
A Regional Assembly is being planned for October 2000 to consolidate
the region’s input into the Assembly in Bangladesh. Local and
national feedback on the draft charter will be shared, main issues
of the framework paper will be discussed, small workshops on
pertinent issues to the region will be proposed for the Assembly.
The San Isidro project for the restoration of Old Havana, a project
working with grassroots community in decision making for the
future of their community are now part of the PHA activities. They
will provide the process with an alternative model to interdisciplinary,
integrated, community-based approaches to health.
