Analysis

Economic Crisis, Restrictive Policies, and the Population's Health and Health Care: The Greek Case

The global economic crisis has affected the Greek economy with unprecedented severity, making Greece an important test of the relationship between socioeconomic determinants and a population’s well-being. Suicide and homicide  mortality rates among men increased by 22.7% and 27.6%, respectively, between 2007 and 2009, and mental disorders, substance abuse, and infectious disease morbidity showed deteriorating trends during 2010 and 2011. Utilization of  public inpatient and primary care services rose by 6.2% and 21.9%, respectively, between 2010 and 2011, while

Humanitarianism ‐ Moving Beyond Medical Rescue to Poverty Reduction, Sustainable Development and Justice?

Presentation at the 13th Berlin Humanitarian Congress, Oct 28th 2011

Dr David McCoy, Peoples Health Movement, NHS London, Centre for International Health and Development, University College London

Good morning

It is a real privilege to be able to address this Congress. And my sincere thanks to the organisers of this conference for inviting me to speak here.

Climate Change and Health

Climate change is the largest threat to global health in history. Health systems, on the other hand, exist to promote, protect and improve people’s health, and to prevent and treat disease. As large, resource and energy-intensive organizations that employ many people, health systems produce large amounts of greenhouse gases. Therefore, they contribute to climate change, raising the paradox that, on balance, they may, inadvertently, do people’s health more harm than good in the long term.

 

National Health Insurance could improve health, create jobs and mitigate climate change

The advent of the National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme opens up a political space to campaign for a health service that will best address South Africa’s health crisis and reduce the extreme inequities between poor and rich, rural and urban, and public sector and private health service users.

War and health

When I began thinking about this topic and doing my research, I realized that I should be discussing not only about war and health but, more importantly, on the war against the people’s right and access to health.

 

Background to Current WHO Reform Initiatives and Possible Advocacy Messages

WHO is in crisis. It is in debt and its agenda is increasingly dictated by donors rather than member states. The Director General has initiated a reform process which will come to a head in November 2011. There are powerful pressures at work which are directed to restricting WHO to a purely technical role and towards closer relationships ('partnerships') with private corporations and private foundations (in particular the Gates Foundation).

Gilead grants license to medicines pool, devil is in details

Published in SUNS #7195 Thursday 21 July 2011

London/New Delhi, 20 Jul (Sangeeta Shashikant and K. M. Gopakumar) -- There are mixed reactions to the first licensing agreement between Gilead Sciences, one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies, and the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP), a Swiss foundation, for the production of some HIV/AIDS medicines.

Most Significant Change - Monitoring empowerment for the right to health

 

Stories from the DR Congo, Palestine, the Philippines and Latin America 

See also attachment below: 'Most Significant Change - Monitoring empowerment for the right to health'

 

Concerns over reform plan, South stresses on "development"

Geneva, 28 Jan (K. M. Gopakumar and Sangeeta Shashikant) -- Developing countries highlighted a number of concerns over the reform agenda on "The Future of Financing for WHO" that was unveiled by the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) at the 128th session of the organization's Executive Board held from 17-25 January.

Syndicate content