WHO

GENEVA, May 18 (IPS) - World Health Organisation (WHO) Director General Margaret Chan issued a warning about the danger posed by the H1N1 flu epidemic, while health ministers from several countries recommended avoiding excesses when it came to remarks about a potential pandemic.

“Economic Recession is a threat to the world’s health”

The People’s Health Movement urges the World Health Organization and member governments to “declare the economic recession currently gripping the globe as a health emergency”.

Health activists gathered here in Geneva for the World Health Assembly (18-22 May) are expected to lobby the UN health body and governments to declare global downturn a health emergency.

WHA 2009: PHM statements on key health issues - May 19, 2009

On recession and impact on health:

1. “Declare Global economic downturn a health disaster!”.
2. Economic Recession is a threat to the world’s health
3. The PHM demands immediate measures by the international community and individual governments:

The People’s Health Movement (PHM) is a world wide movement of people’s organizations, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions and wide range of civil society networks and social movements. The PHM was launched as a result of the People’s Health Assembly that was convened in December 2000 in Bangladesh.

The current outbreak of swine flu (H1N1) outbreak has again highlighted concerns that people in developing countries will have little or inadequate access to much needed influenza vaccines or anti-viral treatments. Thus, there is an urgent need for establishing a global system of fair and equitable system for the sharing of the flu vaccines as well as anti-viral treatments on the basis of need, wherein people in affected developing countries have access.

Jan 19, 2009

Distinguished members of the Executive Board of WHO,

The People's Health Movement (PHM) is a world wide movement of people's organizations, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions and wide range of civil society networks and social movements. The PHM was launched as a result of the People's Health Assembly that was convened in December 2000 in Bangladesh.

The recently released World Health Report on PHC (WHO Oct 2008) is an attempt to bring PHC again to the forefront of our priorities in global health. Good for that!

But the world has changed in these 30 years.

In 1978, we did not have:

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.

From the media coverage of the report of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health, one might think it said nothing new. There are considerable inequalities in health, particularly between rich and poor. These arise from differences in incomes, access to health services, clean water, sanitation and education. There is a moral imperative to act on this social injustice. All of this could have been said at any time over the last 20 or 30 years.

At the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the 1978 Alma Ata Conference, Dr. Halfdan Mahler, who used to be the WHO director general at that time, talks about his love affair with the People's Health Movement. (Photo: WHO/Peter Williams)

Subtitles are available in Spanish and Arabic.

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