Another year of struggle and resilience in global health
This fortnight at the People's Health Dispatch
One year after the abduction of Dr. Ahmed Muhanna, head of Al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza, by Israeli soldiers, his comrades are still awaiting formal updates on his whereabouts and health. His case highlights the deliberate targeting of Palestinian health workers under the Israeli occupation, particularly intensified since October 7, 2023. Despite relentless attacks on health infrastructure, medics in Gaza persevere, providing care in worsening conditions as hospitals close and the blockade heightens the risk of starvation.
Meanwhile, in the United States, health remains under siege from a profit-driven model dominated by private insurance, leaving thousands in debt and despair. Yet, health activists are fighting for alternatives—universal, public, and equitable healthcare.
In Brazil, health workers are also battling systemic challenges. Nurses, the backbone of a people-centered health system, face precarious working conditions and exploitative wages, often forcing them to juggle multiple jobs. An analysis by Outra Saúde explores the roots of this super-exploitation and the steps nurses are taking to demand change.
The next issue of People’s Health Dispatch will be published in the week of January 6, 2025.
In focus: Health in Palestine
One year since the abduction of Dr. Ahmed Muhanna, Gaza health workers endure more attacks
A year after Israeli forces abducted Dr. Ahmed Muhanna, head of Al-Awda Hospital, attacks on Palestinian health workers are growing worse
Gaza hospital patients face starvation amid Israeli blockade
Patients in northern Gaza hospitals are at risk of starvation as Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid and attacks on healthcare facilities persist
In focus: Health in the United States
Is public, quality healthcare possible in the United States?
Healthcare workers in the US have long been fighting for a radical transformation of the current for-profit healthcare system in order to provide quality care to all
US healthcare corporations reap profit from human misery
Slain health CEO Brian Thompson’s tenure was marked by skyrocketing prior authorization denials, leading to increased profits
Source: @peoplesdispatch
Featured articles
Nursing in Brazil: a story of super-exploitation
Research reveals alarming data on the worsening conditions faced by nurses in Brazil: falling wages and increased precarization push many to work up to 80 hours a week
Nursing in Brazil: from super-exploitation to migration
In the second part of Outra Saúde’s analysis of deteriorating working conditions faced by nurses in Brazil, the focus shifts to examine external drivers of the crisis
