Bulletin #50: 75 years of WHO and 2 years of People's Health Dispatch
When the People's Health Dispatch was launched two years ago, the world was already reeling under the COVID-19 pandemic. The warnings from health activists, voiced long before the pandemic, quickly became a harsh reality. Health systems crumbled under the weight of the pandemic due to cost-cutting measures. These systems relied on a limited healthcare workforce and their tireless dedication, while multinational corporations, supported by high-income countries' governments, continued to prioritize profit over meeting the real needs of people.
People's Health Dispatch Bulletin #50
The response to the pandemic should have been based on the ideals of people-centric health systems and calls to challenge the existing global economic order. Instead of advocating for this vision of health, the corporate media portrayed healthcare as inevitably expensive, technical, and detached from the concerns of the people. The People's Health Dispatch was launched to challenge that and provide an analysis rooted in people’s initiatives and responsive to people's needs. Its aim is to foster connections among health struggles occurring worldwide on a daily basis.
Over the past two years, we have witnessed significant developments in the field of health. The World Health Organization, which was founded 75 years ago, continues to face relentless attacks from the corporate sector and philanthro-capitalist institutions seeking to undermine its work. Additionally, next year will mark the 50th anniversary of the initial call for a New International Economic Order. Despite the considerable changes in the global landscape since the establishment of the WHO and the NIEO call, these concepts remain vital in inspiring health struggles around the world.
Since 2021, certain regions of the world have experienced important changes. In Latin America, governments have been elected that prioritize building health systems centered on well-being rather than profit. Latin America, with Cuba's revolutionary legacy serving as inspiration, appears to be at the forefront of progressive health reforms, spanning from Colombia to Brazil.
During this period, we have also witnessed a growing resistance to the influence of Big Pharma. This resistance has transcended the context of COVID-19 and evolved into a broader movement calling for the development of public capacities for the research and production of medicines and vaccines. The mobilizations advocating for a TRIPS waiver at the World Trade Organization made it clear that global health threats like COVID-19 can be defeated through solidarity, rather than by prioritizing private interests.
Throughout this time, health workers have tirelessly fought for the systems they operate in, the people they care for, and decent working conditions. Amidst looming austerity measures and brute force, they have waged their fights from countries like Myanmar to South Africa to Palestine.
As the wave of mobilizations by health workers continues to grow, we remain steadfast in our support for their struggles. We firmly believe that the call for Health for All—a more caring, daring world—will be realized through these collective efforts.
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