Asia

Two Philippine doctors, one an advocate of community-based health programs and the other a toxicology expert, said that corporate greed, import liberalization, and the lack of priority given by the government to local food production and to ensuring food safety are to be blamed for the entry of melamine-contaminated products in the country.

Drug Action Forum - Karnataka is part of Janarogya Andolan Karnataka (a state unit of People's Health Movement - India http://phm-india.org/), member of AIDAN (All India Drug Action Network http://aidanindia.org/) and HAIAP (Health Action International Asia Pacific www.haiap.org).

Drug Action Forum - Karnataka is a registered, not for profit and independent organisation campaigning for Rational use Drugs and Vaccines.

Along with Kavita Srivastava, Dipankar and Pranhita (Binayak's brother and daughter), I had a chance to attend the hearings of Binayak's trial on 30 and 31 July at Raipur. As expected we witnessed the bizarre features of this trial which have been already observed by many others - large presence of armed police in and around the court, all entrants to the court being physically searched and checked with metal detectors, Binayak and the other accused (Narayan Sanyal and Piyush Guha) being continuously surrounded by armed police and required to stand in court for long periods of time.

In a joint press release today, health professionals and toxicologist belonging to RESIST Agrochem TNCs (Resistance and Solidarity against Agrochemical TNCs) called on the government on intense danger of Endosulfan and said that people's welfare is in serious jeopardy. The group warns that Endosulfan is a potential catastrophic global disaster.

23rd April 2008 turned into the Black Wednesday. At Venkatapuram village and Pennaloorpettai of the Thiruvallur district, four Dalit children died shortly after vaccination. The children were given injection for immunization against measles at the weekly camp for Immunization Program. They, however, resulted to be suffered spasms, and frothing at their mouths. The victimized children were buried without proper autopsy.

The Tamil Nadu Government immediately suspended Village Health Nurse (VHN) who had administered the vaccine.

On May 13th/14th, 2008 Dr. Binayak Sen, an activist with a lifelong commitment to the issues of community health and human rights, will complete his first year of unjust imprisonment at the Raipur Central jail in Chhattisgarh. Organizations across the globe will be holding events on the evening of May 13th, 2008 to mark one year of his imprisonment. We appeal to your organization to hold rallies, candlelight vigils or lectures against his unconstitutional detention. Please let us know at freebsen@gmail.com if your organization would endorse this appeal.

Chhattisgarh Government Should Not Use Naxalite Issue to Silence Critics.

Jailed pediatrician, humanitarian worker and civil rights activist Dr Binayak Sen has become the first South Asian ever to win the prestigious 2008 Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights.

The Global Health Council is the world's largest membership alliance of public health organizations and professionals working to improve health and save lives among the poor. The Council serves and represents public health organizations and professionals working in more than 140 countries on six continents.

Who is afraid of drug price regulation?

Certainly not the patients, who stand to gain much if prices of much-needed medicine are immediately reduced to low, very inexpensive prices. Definitely not the doctors, who will finally see their patients able to comply and adhere to their medical treatment. And absolutely not the general public, who may yet enjoy a better life when even the most essential and life-saving drugs become affordable.