Issue

The South African Chapter of People's Health Movement South Africa (PHM SA)* supports the demands of public sector workers for a wage increase of 8,6 percent and a housing allowance of R1000. We call on the government to meet these demands, and to negotiate openly and honestly with the workers' representative in an atmosphere of mutual respect.

Last May 2009, intal partners Advocates for Community Health, Council for Health and Development (CHD) and Gabriela conducted a training cum workshop for community health workers (CHWs) to enhance their skills in documenting their herbal medicine practice. Two participants were conspicuously absent during the follow up training on herbal medicine documentation ---medical doctor Merry Mia-Clamor and midwife Teresa “Tere” Quinawayan. 

 To:  African Heads of State during the AU Summit July 2010

• Download the PHM statement in PDF here.

The People’s Health Movement strongly condemns the Israeli government’s violent and premeditated attack on the civilian flotilla’s carrying peaceful activists and humanitarian aid to Gaza on 31st May 2010. 

14-15 May 2010
Geneva, Switzerland

• Download the Background Note in PDF here.
• Download the Statement in PDF here.
• Download the Workshop Program and Presentations in PDF here.

Representatives of a range of civil society organizations working in health met over two days in Geneva, 14-15 May 2010, to review current structures of global health governance; consider possible directions for reform and adopt strategies for driving such reform.

The discussion of governance issues was shaped by concerns for deepening inequalities and by an awareness of the harm and future dangers of the food, financial and climate crises.

The meeting recognized GHG as a sub-domain of global governance and strongly shaped by economic policy priorities, rather than an autonomous domain of governance, responding primarily to health needs and considerations. The meeting reviewed the contemporary global governance of: human resources for health, trade and health, social determinants, primary health care and health care financing.  In each case the presentations and plenary discussion sought to:

Australia and New Zealand announced in 2009 that they were commencing negotiations with 14 Pacific island countries for a new trade agreement to be called PACER-Plus. This new agreement would replace existing trade arrangements in the region.

PACER-Plus has the potential to enhance or jeopardise health and health care in the Pacific island countries. The current negotiations provide the opportunity to get it right, to promote economic development in the Pacific, to progress Health for All, and make progress towards realising the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Published in SUNS #6915 dated 30 April 2010

Geneva, 29 Apr (Kanaga Raja) -- Civil society organizations have praised a recent decision by the Ecuadorian government to issue its first compulsory license for lopinavir/ritonavir, a key medication in the treatment of HIV/AIDS.

Welcoming the move by Ecuador, the civil society groups called on other governments in the Latin American region to use compulsory licenses and parallel importation to improve access to essential medicines.

Published in SUNS #6911 dated 26 April 2010

Geneva, 23 Apr (Kanaga Raja) -- The United States has been using trade agreements, foreign aid, technical assistance and diplomatic pressure to promote intellectual property and pharmaceutical regulations that restrict access to affordable medicines in developing countries, health advocacy organizations have said.

In a submission to the United Nations Human Rights Council this week, the health advocacy groups said that the US move is coming at the expense of human rights.

Examining the World’s Health from an Alternative Perspective

The Global Health Watch provides a platform for activists to share experiences and inform each other with practical examples and theoretical analyses to strengthen local, national, regional and global campaigns towards Health for All!