|
Venue
YMCA International House and Programme
Centre
18, YMCA Road,
Mumbai Central
Mumbai - 400008
Tel: 2307-0601, 2309 1262 Fax:
+91-22-2307-1567
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Background
People’s
movements across the world are working to identify and demonstrate that
the path to sustainable development and social and economic justice does
not lie in neo-liberal globalization but in alternative models for
people-centred and self-reliant progress. The World Social Forum
developed as a response of the growing international movement
questioning the neo-liberal economic policies being pursued in most
countries and imperialist globalization.
In 2001, 2002 and 2003 the World Social Forum, held in Porto Allegre,
Brazil, has explored and proposed such alternatives, and questioned the
rules of governance and investment being set by the World Economic
Forum. The people’s argument is that Another World IS Possible. It is
an argument based on both vision and reality.
In 2004, for the first time, the World Social forum moves out of Porto
Alegre, to Mumbai in India. The World Social forum in Mumbai will
be organized between 16-21 January, 2004. The WSF2004 will
focus not only on the impact but also the processes of neo-liberal
globalization that is creating a small global, ‘over-class’ and a
vast, increasingly marginalized and vulnerable under-class in every
country. Every part of the process seeks to draw out people’s
perceptions regarding the impact of neo-liberal economic policies and
their attendant divisiveness on their daily lives.
In 2002 and 2003 it has been the practice to organize a “International
Forum for Defense of People’s Health” just before the World
Social Forum. In 2003 the Peoples Health Movement participated in this
forum in a modest way.
At the time of the World Health Assembly in May 2003, the Steering Group
of the Peoples Health Movement met to chalk out a calendar of activities
for the coming year. While endorsing the decision to hold the next
People’s Health Assembly in Porto Alegre in July 2004, it was also
decided to take the responsibility of organizing the “IIIrd International
Forum for Defense of People’s Health” in Mumbai on 14-15 January
2004, just prior to the organization of the World Social Forum.
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Perspective of
the Forum for Defense of People’s Health
The Forum is an opportunity to
bring together participants at the WSF2004 who are working in the area
of Health. This would help to focus on the impact of neo-liberal
globalization on health care and health policy making and ensure that
these issues are fore-grounded at the World Social Forum itself.
Moreover, this would also be an opportunity for PHM activists from Asia
and Africa, who may not be able to participate in the IInd People’s
Health Assembly in large numbers due to the high costs of travel, to
contribute to the process of evolving alternatives that the PHM is
engaged in. The Forum, thus, while having an international character and
vision, is likely to see a strong Asian participation.
The Forum is not designed to be a “mini-Peoples Health Assembly”,
but would rather seek to focus more concretely and specifically on the
multi-faceted challenges posed by globalization to health care across
the world and focus on campaigns, Programme initiatives and policy
advocacy efforts that are evolving as a countervailing movement with a
focus of Health for All, Now
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Programme
Given below are
the five thematic areas and an outline of the deleterious effects of
globalization on various aspects of health and health care. With these
deleterious effects as the context, the discussion in the Forum would
focus on sharing of the work and strategies of anti-globalization movement
on health issues. The sessions have been planned below, keeping this focus
in mind. In the Forum, we would thus go by our PHM tradition of focusing
discussions around action.
Themes of the Forum
The major thematic axes of the Forum shall, in large measure, follow the
principal foci of World Social Forum, (16 - 21 January) 2004. These shall
be:
1) Health in the Age of Globalization
Various policy changes occasioned by multilateral agencies, that have
been imposed on developing countries in the era of imperialist
globalization have been detrimental to nation states in every region. The
results have been felt most severely in the social sectors - health,
education, food security, etc. Bank and IMF dictated policies and WTO
obligations have placed primacy on the necessity to be “competitive”
in the global market. In order to do so poor countries were told that the
poor were a liability and, at best, could be provided a “safety net”.
The purpose of such a net is not to provide comprehensive social security
cover but to provide “minimum” facilities and services that could
contain social unrest and political instability. Countries, as a result,
are increasingly resorting to “social dumping”, where the poor are
insulated from the mainstream and kept in a permanent state of penury.
Public health is an obvious casualty of this process. There is a clear
contradiction between the principal tenets of public health and
neo-liberal economic theory that permeates policy making today. The former
posits that public health is “public good”, i.e. its benefits cannot
be individually appropriated or computed, but have to be seen in the
context of benefits that accrue to the public. Thus public health outcomes
are shared, and their accumulation lead to better living conditions. Such
goods never mechanically translate into visible economic determinants. But
neo-liberal economic policies are loath to even acknowledge such benefits.
The current economic policies would rather view health as a private good
that is accessed by the medium of the market.
The above is the basic terrain that the theme of “Health in the Age of
Globalization” will explore.
2) Health in the Shadow of Militarism and War
Imperialist globalization, accompanied by and/or manifested as military
and other intervention by world powers, has greatly accentuated the lack
of peace and security across the globe. In spite of urgency expressed by
States regarding national and regional security and the pledging of
enormous resources, conflicts have increased the world over. After
September 11 there has been a sharp increase in militarism and the
adoption and use of draconian laws and measures under the garb of curbing
terrorism.
Security of individuals, communities and societies continue to be
neglected as compared to state security. People are facing severe threats
to livelihood, social security, rights and living standards especially in
the context of globalization; their protests and demands, particularly
when voiced by peoples' movements, are treated as security threats by the
state, with increasing reliance on the use of force through police/armies
to establish 'order'. These and related aspects require detailed
attention.
The aggression on Iraq and the continuing occupation of Palestine are but
two manifestations of the shadow of militarism under which we are forced
to live. The human tragedy that war and conflicts bring about in their
wake is most starkly evident in the area of health care. Health is a
casualty not only in areas where wars are being waged, but also in regions
being targeted through economic sanctions. Above all this is the threat of
a nuclear holocaust and its obvious catastrophic consequences.
These are some of the issues that this theme will explore.
3) Health Care and the Marginalized - Disabled, Religious/Ethnic
Minorities, Dalits
Globalization achieves exclusions of various kinds through a variety of
formal and informal operations of power. Erosion of the political
sovereignty of the nation-states, sharp reduction in the powers of the
democratically elected bodies and the corresponding rise in the powers of
the various arms of global establishment are perhaps the most visible of
these instrumentalities. Democratically elected institutions yielding
their power to ‘expert’ regulatory bodies or simply market forces
within the domestic arena is but another corollary of the same process. A
shrinking of democratic space within the nation-states can be seen in the
rise of the aggressively majoritarian and intolerant articulations of the
nation and an increase in the repressive powers of the state, leading to
gross violation of civic and human rights.
This theme seek
to highlight this exclusionary effects of globalization in its multiple
dimensions, and their specific effects in the area of health care.
4) Health Care and Patriarchy
In the wake of globalization the very concept of
“Health for All” is being pushed back by health sector reforms and
privatization with disastrous result in terms of women and children’s
lives. Government health policies have been redirected to focus on
privatization, cost-effectiveness and the development of public-private
partnerships in the provision of health care.
Over the years governments and religious fundamentalists have denied women’s
right to make decisions central to their lives. They have done this by
implementing policies that are more in the interest of private businesses
and cost-effectiveness and less in the interest of equity and quality for
all. The right to health also eludes many women who because of deeply
internalized subordination and the absence of enabling conditions, fail to
claim this entitlement. Women’s right to health has to be addressed by
comprehensive primary health care systems and comprehensive social and
economic policies all over the world.
This theme will
examine these and related issues.
5) HIV/AIDS: Confronting the Crisis
There will be a special session to discuss the
HIV/AIDS crisis in many parts of the world and its devastating effect on
public health. This session will also discuss how the institutions of
globalization like the World Bank, the WTO and the IMF act to compound the
crisis.
Since the People’s Health Assembly in GK - Savar, Bangladesh - December
2000 a lot has happened all over the world to build up a movement towards
Health for All, Now, and counter and oppose global trends that are
promoting Health for those who can pay. PHM members have joined hands in
solidarity with the wider social / societal struggles for sustainable
development and global peace and solidarity. The Health Forum as a
preceding event just 2 days before the World Social Forum is an important
linkage to ensure that the Health for All, Now campaign and PHM works in
solidarity with all the campaigns and struggles that tackle the deeper
determinants of health. Health professionals and health activists will
also attend WSF in solidarity with its overall goals to celebrate that
Another World is possible - another way towards Health for All, Now is
possible!
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Programme
Format
This will keep
evolving through an interactive, participatory process with PHM
constituents all over the world. The latest evolving program as of 24th
Dec. is given below.
Program Download
To download the
following Program in MS Word format click
here
|
Date/
Time/ Session
|
Programme |
|
12th
and 13th January 2004 |
The
People’s Health Movement Steering Group and Strategy Planning
Meeting (by
special invitation
only)
|
International Health Forum for the Defense of People’s Health (IHF),
14th – 15th January 2004
YMCA, Mumbai
|
|
Date/ Time/ Session |
Programme
|
|
14th
January 2004
|
DAY ONE
|
|
14th
January 2004
9.00 – 11.00
Inaugural
Plenary
Coordinators:
Amit
Sengupta
(India) |
Overview on confronting the challenge of globalisation through
health work: Perspective, struggles and strategies
Chair:
Moderator:
1) Welcome and
Introduction - (10 mins)
2) Two Keynote
Presentations
A) Globalization - A
Macro perspective - Walden Bello (Philippines) (30 mins)
B) Linkages between
Globalization and Health - David Legge (Australia) (30 mins)
3) Brief overview of
People’s Health Movement and the main challenges before it in
response to the threat of Globalization - Ravi Narayan (15 mins)
4)
Interactions from the floor (35 mins.)
|
|
11.00 - 11.30 |
Break
|
|
14th
January 2004
11.30
- 13.30
Inaugural
Plenary (contd.)
Coordinators:
Maria
Hamlin Zunega
(Nicaragua) |
Chair:
Dr. N. H. Antia (Chairperson, PHM India)
Moderator: Maria H.
Zunega, PHM /IPHC (Nicaragua)
1) Panel: Regional
challenges, struggles and role of PHM (75 mins)
a) Asia - Edelina
De La Paz (Phillipines)
b) Africa - Mwajuma
Masaiganah (Tanzania)
c) Americas- Arturo
Quizhpe (Ecuador)
d) Europe - Pamela
Margaret Zinkin (UK)
e) India - Abhay
Shukla (India)
2)
Some brief country case studies (30 mins)
3)
Interaction from the floor (15 mins.)
|
|
13.30 - 14.30 |
Lunch
|
|
14.30
- 16.30
|
Parallel
Plenaries |
|
14th
January 2004
14.30
- 16.30
Parallel
Plenary
1A
Coordinators:
Sundararaman
(India)
|
Globalisation,
Health Policies and Health Sector Reforms
Chair:
Moderator:
1) Testimonies:
Evelyn Hong
(Malaysia)
Jen Cox* (USA)
2) Keynotes -
a) “A World without World Bank and IMF - The Cuban
experience of Health for All ” - Dr Aleida Guevara
March* (Cuba)
b) Issues & alternatives - Antonio Tujan* (Philippines)
3) Round Table - Globalisation and Health
Imrana Qadeer (India)
David Sanders ( South
Africa)
Prof. Tissa Vitarana
(Sri Lanka) or Dr. Michael Brugiere/ Julie Ancian (MDM)
4) Interaction from the floor
|
|
14th
January 2004
14.30
- 16.30
Parallel
Plenary
1B
Coordinators:
Unnikrishnan (Thailand) /
Ghassan (Palestine) |
B) Health under War, Occupation and Militarization
Chair:
Moderator: Unnikrishnan
1) Keynotes:
a) Rosalie Bertell* (Canada)
b) Plan Columbia - Edgar Isch Lopez
(Ecuador)
2) Voices from the field:
a) Palestine
b) Gujarat- India
c) Vietnam*
d) Iraq (by South Koreans)
e) Afghanistan*
f) Sri Lanka (Vinya Ariyaratne)
g) Nepal
h) Philippines (Mindanao)
3) Interactions from the floor |
|
16.30 - 17.00 |
Break
|
|
17.00
- 19.00
|
Parallel
Workshops |
|
14th
January 2004
17.00
- 19.00
Parallel
Workshop 1
Coordinators:
|
Globalisation and Health Policy
Chair: S.P. Shukla WTO Virodhi Abhiyan Moderator:
1) Testimonies:
a) Gleevec campaign against Novartis - Clara Kim (South Korea)
b) National Trust fund for Health and Community Mobilisation
for Health For all, Jagdish Goburdhan / Ita Stann (Mauritius)
c) Trade Union campaign on right to Health Care - Nicola
Delussu (Italy)
2) Panelists:
a) Securing the Right to Health - Julio Monsalvo* (Argentina)
or Relevance of Alma Ata today - Arturo (Ecuador)
b) WHO or WTO - who determines Global health priorities?-
Armando* (Brazil)
c) TRIPS and Access to Essential Medicines- Lawan Sarogat(MSF)
d) GATS and Access to Health Care: The new challenges - Michael
Brugiere / Julie Ancian (MDM)
e) Global Equity Guage Alliance (GEGA representative)
3) Interactions from the floor
|
|
14th
January 2004
17.00
- 19.00
Parallel
Workshop - 2
Coordinators:
Unnikrishnan(Thailand)
/
Ghassan(Palestine)
|
Promoting
Synergy: Towards joint Anti - war action
Chair:
Moderator:
1)
Keynote:
a)
Bert Belder - Belgium
2)
Voices from the field:
a)
Stop the War Coalition UK*
b)
Palestine
c)
Anti War effort - South Asia, Sandeep Pandey (India)
d)
Boycott Bush campaign (Belgium)
3)
International resistance and local actions - ILPS, Philippines
4)
Interactions from the floor
|
|
14th
January 2004
17.00
- 19.00
Parallel
Workshop - 3
Coordinators:
Carmelita(Philippines)
/
FCA
|
Learning from the Global Tobacco Control campaign - including
FCTC
Chair:
Moderator: Carmelita Canila
1) Testimonies:
a) Youth and Tobacco Campaign - Bobby Ramakant (India)
b) Community in health promotion - Sehra Sajjadi (Iran)
2) Round Table:
(FCA / PATH / PHM Bangladesh and others)
a) Relevance of Tobacco Control within the context of Social
Development
b) Lessons from FCTC
3) Interactions from the floor
|
|
14th
January 2004
17.00
- 19.00
Parallel
Workshop - 4
Coordinators:
Lanny
Smith (US)
|
Liberation Medicine - Bringing
together experiences of the conscious, conscientious, use of
health to promote social justice and human dignity.
Chair: Moderator:
Lanny Smith
1) Panelists
include: Sayeh Dashti (Iran) Roland
Bani (Albania), Chris Fritsch (US), Duflo* (France) and Vinu*
and Medico Friends circle representative
2) Interactions from the
floor |
|
14th
January 2004
17.00
- 19.00
Parallel
Workshop - 5
Coordinators:
Ravi Duggal (India)
|
Globalisation and Health Sector Reforms
Chair:
Moderator:
1) Testimonies:
a) Privatisation and Health : Delen
(Philippines)
b) A grassroots perspective - GK Health
Worker (Bangladesh)
2) Panelists:
a) Barriers to accessing health care in
Africa - Harry Jeene (Kenya)
b) Public Private Interactions and
Implications - Jose Utrera (Netherlands)
c) Macro Economics in Health and
Privatisation - Muralidharan (India)
d) Health Policy Reform for “Health
for All”- Basic Human Needs Approach (Iran) - Md. Ali
Barzgar
3) Interactions from the floor |
|
14th
January 2004
17.00
- 19.00
Parallel
Workshop - 6
Coordinator:
Prem
John (India)
|
Health Teams for ‘Health for All’ (including CHWs)
Chair: Qasem Chowdhury, Vice chancellor
Moderator:
Prem John
Gono Biswbidyalay, Bangladesh
1) Testimonies:
a) CHW’s in Albania, Roland Bani
b) Nurses and Migration, Emma Manuel
(Philippines)
2) Panelists:
a) CHW’s an overview - Shyam
Ashtekar* (India)
b) The great Brain robbery - Vikram
Patel (UK)
c) Health teams for
HFA (Mauritius)
d) IFMSA
representative*
e) Engendering Medical
Education - Padma Prakash (India)
3) Interactions
from the floor
|
|
14th
January 2004
17.00
- 19.00
Parallel
Workshop - 7
Coordinator:
Vijayan, GK/
Darshan Shankar, FRLHT
|
Traditional /
Alternative systems of Medicine and Primary Health Care
Chair: Zafrullah Chowdhury, GK (Bangladesh)
Moderator: Vijayan,
GK (Bangladesh)
1) Testimonies:
a) Perspective of a TBA from
Rajasthan, CHETNA (India)
b) Understanding Folk medicine - Hari
John (India)
2) Panelists:
a) Revitalisation of local health
traditions, FRLHT(India)
b) Training of TBAs - CHETNA (India)
c) Integrating ASMs
for Primary Health Care - The GBB course(Bangladesh)
d) Promoting herbal
medicines and ASMs - CHAI*(India)
e) Integrated health
policy including TSM - D. Bahadur (Mauritius)
3) Interactions
from the floor
|
|
19.00 - 19.15 |
Break
|
|
19.15
- 20.15
|
Cultural
Programmes |
|
15th January
2004 |
Day
TWO
|
|
08.00
- 09.00
|
Interaction
/ Fellowship |
|
15th
January 2004
09.00
- 11.00
Plenary
2
Coordinators:
David
Sanders
|
HIV/AIDS:
Confronting the Crisis
Chair: Olle Nordberg (Sweden)
Moderator: Thelma
Narayan (India)
1) Testimonies and regional reflections:
a) Ida Makuka (Zambia)
b) Chiranuch Premchaipon* (Thailand)
c) Malachi Orondo (Kenya)
d) Oblesh (India)
2) Panelists:
a) HIV and to Access Drugs - HAI/MSF
b) Health Systems approach to the
AIDS challenge - EQUINET/IPHC (South Africa)
c) HIV/ AIDS & resurgence of
communicable diseases T.Sundarraman(India)
d) WHO - Evolving Strategy and
Overview: Craig McClure / Ian Grubb -WHO
3) Interaction
from the floor:
|
|
11.00 -11.30 |
Break
|
|
15th
January 2004
11.30
- 13.30
Parallel
Plenary - 3 A
Coordinators:
Mohan
Rao (India) /
Nadia
(Netherlands) |
Women, Population
policies and Violence
Chair:
Moderator: Mira Shiva
(India)
1) Testimonies:
a) MP (India)
b) Rajasthan (India)
2) Keynote presentations:
a) Population Policies: Dr. Mohan Rao
(India)
b) Targeting
Women’s Bodies- Rajani Bhatia* / Jessie Reynold* (US)
c)
Violence as Public health issues - Manisha Gupte.(India)
3) Round Table:
a) Farida Akhtar (Bangladesh)
b) Hazra* (Pakistan)
c) Nadia (Netherlands)
4) Interaction from the floor:
|
|
15th
January 2004
11.30
- 13.30
Parallel
Plenary 3B
Coordinators:
Anita
Ghai (India) /
Enrico
Populin (Italy)
|
Health Care and the Marginalised
Chair:
Medha Patkar
(India)
Moderator: Enrico
Populin
(India)
1) Testimonies:
a) Adivasis and health* (India)
b) Dalit Issues and health *(India)
2) Panelists:
a) Inequalities in Health - George
Davy Smith*
b) Dalit issues and Health - Ruth
Manorama (India)
c)
Health Care of the Aborigines - ? (Australia)
d) Health and people with
disabilities -Anita Ghai (India)
e) Health of indigenous people- Hugo
Icu Peren (Guatemala)
3) Interaction from the floor:
|
|
13.30 -14.30 |
Lunch
|
|
15th
January 2004
14.30
- 16.30
Parallel
Workshop 8
Coordinators:
Mira
Shiva (India) /
WGNRR
|
Key Issues in Women’s
Health
Chair:
Moderator: Jaya Velankar*
(India)
1) Testimonies:
a) Mary Sandasi (Zimbabwe)
b)
2) Panelists:
a) Women’s Access to Health Care -
Nadia (Netherlands)
b) Reproductive Technologies: Mayhem
on women’s bodies-Sarojini(India)
c)
Right to Abortion* - (??)
d) Sex Selective Abortion* - Kalpana
(India) Sabu George (India)
e) Trafficking, migration &
labour rights - Rina Sengupta(Bangladesh)
3) Interaction from the floor:
|
|
15th
January 2004
14.30
- 16.30
Parallel
Workshop 9
Coordinators:
Vandana
(India)
|
Voices of the
Unheard.. Children, adolescents and people with disability
Chair: Pam Zinkin(UK)
Moderator:
1) Testimonies:
a) Children’s dreams through
paintings - Arturo (Ecuador)
b) Children’s testimonies by Radio
- Child to child (Ecuador)
c) Mama Huaca Video - Dibujos
Animados ( Latin America)
d) A street child’s perspective*
(India)
2) Panelists:
a) Disability and Health - Enrico
Pupulin (Italy)
b) Child health - The key issues -
Vandana Prasad (India)
c)
Adolescent Health - Usha Nayar* (India)
3)
Interaction from the floor
|
|
15th
January 2004
14.30
- 16.30
Parallel
Workshop 10
Coordinators:
Thelma
Narayan (India)
|
HIV/AIDS and the
Resurgence of Communicable Diseases
Chair:
Moderator:
1) Testimonies:
a) Jennifer Atieno
(Kenya)
b) Parinchay Health worker*, FRCH
(India)
c) Perspectives of PLWA,CHIN (India)
2) Panelists:
a) HIV/AIDS: Confronting the Crisis -
WHO Team
b) Lawyers Collective, HIV / AIDS Unit
c)
CHIN network (India)
3)
Interaction from the floor particularly focused on WHO proposed
Initiatives
|
|
15th
January 2004
14.30
- 16.30
Parallel
Workshop 11
Coordinators:
Abhay
Shukla (India)
|
Globalisation, Poverty,
Hunger and Health
Chair: Thomas Kocherry, World Forum of Fisherpeople,
(India)
Moderator: Abhay Shukla (PHM India)
1) Testimonies:
a) Poverty in Germany:
Gopal Dabade, BUKO
b) Tackling malnutrition, Shanti /
Kalpana, Arogya Iyakkam, Tamil Nadu (India)
2) Panelists:
a) Veena Shatrugna (India)
b) Sheila Zurbrigg* (Canada)
c)
P. Sainath (India)
d)
Eugenio Villar (Peru)
e)
PRSP and Health - Atiur Rehman / Jobair Hassan (Bangladesh)
3) Interaction from the
floor
|
|
15th
January 2004
14.30
- 16.30
Parallel
Workshop 12
Coordinators:
Sanjay
Nagral (India)
|
New Economics and its
impact on medical practice in India
Chair: Dr. Sunil Pandya (India)
Moderator: Dr. R. K. Anand (India)
1) Testimonies:
a) Lessons from my
crusade - P.C. Singhi (India)
2) Panelists:
a) Collapse of Public Health and rise
of private medicine-B. Ekbal(India)
b) New players in the medical market -
Ravi Duggal(India)
c)
Struggle for regulation of private sector - Dr. Arun
Bal(India)
d)
Market, medicine, negligence and ethics - Sanjay Nagral
(India)
3)
Responses from around the world* - Pakistan, Bangladesh,
Philippines, Iran, UK, Germany,
Egypt, South Africa and others
4) Interaction from the floor (Apart from IHF participants, there
will be participation of IMA Mumbai, GPA Mumbai, Association of
Medical consultants, IAP, Government and Corporation)
|
|
15th
January 2004
14.30
- 16.30
Parallel
Workshop 13
| |
