PHA World Health Assembly - Get Involved! - News Brief # 1
PHA World Health Assembly - Get Involved! - News Brief # 1
Africa | Arab
Countries | Asia | Europe
| Latin America | North
America | The Pacific
This document in
pdf format
Radical changes are needed to achieve better health and equitable development for everyone.
A concerted political mobilization is thus needed to put people first in the development process.
PHA 2000, The People’s Health Assembly 2000 is working for just that. We are a growing
coalition of grassroots organizations dedicated to changing the prevailing health care delivery
system which is considered to be failing to serve the deteriorating health of most of the world’s
poor.
Preparatory work for the PHA is under way. Pre-assembly meetings, workshops, consultations,
discussions are mushrooming in different parts of the world, each echoing other groups’ and
communities’ concerns and visions for health and equitable development. Stories and
case studies
are being produced in the form of written stories/case-studies, video/slides presentation,
skits, street dramas, poster presentations, and various other creative forms. If you are not
already involved in some of these activities, contact your respective regional coordinators or
the PHA Secretariat and get more information from us.
In December this year, PHA 2000 is planning a global assembly! The Assembly will cover a
wide range of issues, taking an intersectoral and global approach to health. A series of relevant,
lively and interesting workshops, roundtables and plenaries as well as cultural and
artistic events are being organised. The Assembly seeks the wide endorsement of the People’s
Charter for Health and the formulation of the PHA Action Plans. We are expecting about 600
participants coming from community-based and grassroots organisations, non-governmental
organisations, trade unions, academia, international agencies and governments from over 100
countries around the world, ensuring that there will be a strong representation of women as
well as participants from developing countries.
The challenges we face
require shared strategies and interaction by
likeminded individuals and organizations worldwide.
We are calling upon you to join us in this process. Networking
is the beginning of a process that we envision carrying out through launching
a concerted lasting global campaign seeking the political changes needed to make universal
access to basic human needs a priority. We particularly focus on primary health care,
aiming at re-establishing health and equitable development as top priorities in local, national
and international policy-making.
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How to get involved?
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Contact your respective regional coordinators. Find out how you and your organisation can
be a part of the PHA process at the country/regional levels;
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Get on to the website at www.phmovement.org
Download updated information from there for
pre-assembly activities and/or the assembly. If you do not have access to the internet,
write to the PHA Secretariat;
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Send us stories and/or case studies on health and health-related issues that you and your
community feel is important input into the process;
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Send us your input on the draft outline of the People’s Charter for Health. Distribute the
Charter widely and share it with your network/partner organisations;
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Share information about the PHA process with your networks and/or during relevant
conferences/meetings that you attend;
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Network with groups that have already come on board the PHA process. The PHA network
database will be made available on our website soon.
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AFRICA
Information on the PHA has been widely
shared in different parts of Africa. Groups
that PHA has linked up with or vise versa
include ASDEC (for clean environment),
Senegal; TARSC (Training and Resource
Support Centre), Zimbabwe; Church related
hospital organisations in Malawi; Community
Development Initiative and Child Health
Organisation, Nigeria; Women’s Organisation
Mali; Steno (community based programme),
Uganda; HAI-Africa; Afri-Can,
Kangemi Women Empowerment Centre,
Health Care Group, Kenya; Disabled
Women’s Network and Resource Organisation,
Youth/Children Project, Buluba Leprosy
Centre, Uganda.
Upcoming events
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A meeting of African Regulatory Authorities,
AFDRAN was organised in
March. Contacts have been made with
them to see how best they can be
involved in the process.
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There was a regional meeting in March
on Essential Drugs in Cape Town. The
background framework paper has been
sent to the participants of this meeting.
ARAB COUNTRIES
The first brochure and second information folder have been translated to Arabic by
Union of Palestinian
Medical Relief Committee
(UPMRC).
Palestinian groups
have been briefed and
are working together
on the PHA. They are
also working on a
case study on the
World Bank and
Palestine and stories
are being produced.
Arab partners have
been contacted and
are planning to organise a meeting in
Jordan. A proposed workshop on Iraq is
being planned for the Assembly in Dhaka.
(Ghassan Hanani at UPMRC, PO Box
514483, Jerusalem, Israel. fax: 972-2-583
0679; email: mrs@baraka.org/ghada@upmrc.org)
ASIA
Chennai Meeting
A national consultation was coordinated by
All India People’s Science Network
(AIPSN) from 10-12 January at Chennai to
evolve a plan of action and national coordinating
mechanism for the PHA. The
national coordinating committee comprises
of AIPSN; Community Health Cell,
Bangalore; ACHAN; Forum for Crèche and
Child Care Services (FORCES); Medicos
Friends Circle; CEHAT; Foundation for
Research in Community Health; National
Alliance of People’s Movements; Anveshi;
Catholic Health Association of India
(CHAI); Consumer action Group; and
Indian Academy of Pediatrics. Groups
were encouraged to organise activities
relevant to
the process. Activities for the national
health assembly, policy dialogues and
national workshops have been identified
and mapped out as coordinated activities.
Hyderabad Meeting
Another national meeting was held in
Hyderabad, India on 6 April. The composition
of the national networks has been
expanded to include AIPSN, AIDAN,
AIDWA, ACHAN, BGVS, CHAI, CMAI,
FORCES, FMRAI, MFC, NAPM, NFIW,
NOWA, SOCHARA, VHAI. Keynote address
and papers were presented
centering around the theme of
globalisation and structural adjustment and
its impact on health. A report of the two
above meetings can be obtained through
AIPSN cerd@satyam.net.in
An ad-hoc committee was formed in Nepal
in preparation for the PHA, comprising of
Resource Centre for Primary Health Care
(RECPHEC), People’s Health Concern
Trust, Women’s Rehabilitation centre,
Rural Reconstruction Nepal, ABC Nepal and United Mission to Nepal. The first
meeting of the committee was held on 5
March. Some of the preparatory tasks
identified include the publication of the
PHA brochure in Nepali, wider circulation of
the brochure, public announcement of the
PHA through different channels, convening
a meeting to include the larger civil society.
In the Philippines, information on the PHA
has been widely distributed to network
groups. Groups are involved in various
activities viz. research on nutrition, immunisation,
corporatisation of health care, HIV/AIDS; photo exhibits; producing video on
the effects of IMF, World Bank; etc.
A Pre-assembly event is being planned in
rural Sindh, Pakistan by Health and Nutrition
Development Society (HANDS). For
more information, please contact Tanveer
Ahmed at hands@digicom.net.pk or 254
Purbalok, Kalikapur, P.O., Calcutta - 700
078, India.
Elsewhere, meetings and activities have
been discussed and/or initiated in Cambodia,
Sri Lanka, Lao PDR, China, Maldives,
Pakistan (Zafar Mirza, TheNetwork at
netcp@isb.apollo.net.pk or House #60-A,
Street 39, Sector F-10/4, Islamabad).
EUROPE
An ad-hoc committee was formed and focal
points appointed during the International
People’s Health Council Meeting in Amsterdam
on 7 February 2000 to work with the
PHA process. These organisations include
Medact and One World Action for Europe;
IPHC for UK; Wemos for The Netherlands;
Medical Aid for the Third World for Belgium;
Physicians for Social Responsibility
for Finland; and Dag Hammarskjold Foundation
for Sweden. Minutes of this meeting
can be obtained from Pam Zinkin. Others
are invited to join the committee!
Contacts needed in Hungary and Poland. If
you know of any groups interested in the
PHA process, please contact Pam Zinkin pamzinkin@gn.apc.org
Meeting in St.
Petersburg
Representatives
from about 30
local health NGOs
participated in a PHA
meeting in St.
Petersburg on 17
March. The meeting
was good and
achieved its
objectives of
planning for
Russia’s
contribution to
the PHA process along the theme of “Building
bridges for better health policies in
Russia”. Coordinated efforts are being
made for further contributions to the PHA
process via writing/producing stories,
testimonies as well as finding effective
means to get involved in the analytical
process. Information about this meeting can
be obtained from WEMOS at
info@wemos.nl or PO Box 1693, 1000 BR
Amsterdam, The Netherlands, fax: 31-20-
4686 008
Upcoming meetings
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World Health Assembly, 15-20 May
2000 in Geneva: MEDACT and
WEMOS are planning a meeting on the
PHA for Geneva on 18 May at 1300-1500. The meeting will be held in the
NGO Lounge in Palais de Nations. We
will be working with Asha Williams, the
focal point appointed by WHO to work
with the PHA. (For more information,
contact Ellen Verheul at ellen.verheul@wemos.nl
or postal
address as above)
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MEDACT is organising a meeting for
the PHA entitled “Global problems,
Local Solutions” on 13 May. This is a
national meeting for groups in UK
involving doctors and other health
workers, community groups and
unions.(Contact Mike Rowson at
medact@gn.apc.org or MEDACT, 601
Holloway Rd, London N19 4DJ, United
Kingdom. fax: 44-171-2815717)
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Kilen is planning a meeting on 31 September - 1
October 2000 in Sweden on Consumer reports on
Medicine. For more information, please contact
Pam Zinkin at pamzinkin@gn.apc.org
LATIN AMERICA
Information on the PHA has been widely distributed to
leaders, decision makers, representatives of ethnic
groups, trade unions and women’s groups, requesting
that these groups participate in the PHA process and
share the information with their network groups.
More contacts needed in Brazil! Groups working on
health and health-related issues interested to join in the PHA process, please contact Maria Hamlin-Zuniga
iphc@cisas.org.ni and/or Arturo Quizphe
aquizhpe@yahoo.com
Among some of the pre-assembly activities include:
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A local meeting was held in Trinidad/Tobago;
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A group called INCUPO from the Chaco in Argentina
is preparing stories and testimonies;
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Women’s groups have been sharing information on
the PHA process and putting it on their bulletins
and magazines.
Upcoming events
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The Regional Committee for the Promotion of
Community Health is planning meetings in the
Mexican and Central American region over the
next few months. Each Central American country
will hold local and/or national meetings.
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A regional meeting will be held to consolidate
these meetings in October where testimonies,
stories, cultural expressions will be part of the
agenda. This is in conjunction with the 25th Anniversary
celebrations.
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Collaboration between PHA and the Civil Society
Forum has been made and activities are being
initiated.
Upcoming meetings
NORTH AMERICA
Network partners in Canada are looking into the
possibility of organising an event among community
health centres. More information later.
More contacts are needed in USA. Please contact
the PHA Secretariat.
THE PACIFIC
Groups are being contacted in the Pacific. If you
are in linked to any groups in the Pacific working
on similar issues as we are, please link us up with
them! Contact Mary Murray at
memhmh@ozemail.com.au or Kenneth Harvey at k.harvey@latrobe.edu.au
Join in the PHA process
and let your voices be heard!
Contact your respective regional coordinators
and be a part of the regional activities.
We encourage all people’s movements
to come on board.
Let’s work together towards re-establishing
health and equitable development for all.
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PHA Secretariat, 250A Jalan Air Itam, 10460 Penang, Malaysia
tel: 604-229 1396; fax: 604-228 6506
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