OPEN ACCESS TO HEALTH FOR ALL!

For the fifth year in a row, People’s Health Movement Europe and European Network Against Commercialization of Health and Social Protection are calling for a day of action on April 7th 2020, People’s Health Day, to show our determination to oppose the dangerous consequences that the commercialization of health has on people’s lives all around the world. Like in other parts of the world, over the last decades movements for the right to health in Europe have seen commercial and private interests increasingly dominate our health systems and health policy, while the idea of publicly financed and provided, solidarity-based health care systems has been abandoned by many governments. Unsurprisingly, the financialization of health care, never-ending austerity measures, and rise in inequalities have led to the worsening of people’s health. Even though countries in Europe continue to rely on mechanisms of financial protection in health care, these have not been a guarantee for universal access to comprehensive and quality health care. Quite the contrary, private health insurance schemes, co-payments, and other out-of-pocket fees remain an insurmountable barrier between people and health care systems, complemented by reductions in local services, waiting lists, and deterioration of working conditions in the health sector. This year, our campaign in Europe will focus primarily on different facets of access to health. We call for actions that will draw attention to the local and regional aspects of access to health care, including access to reproductive and sexual health care for women, access to medicines, and health care for refugees and migrants. Recognizing the diversity of issues caused by commercialization and privatization of health care around the world, we also welcome actions focusing on other health-related topics, ranging from the social determinants of health to people’s participation in health systems. PLANNED ACTIONS: Below you can find a work-in-progress list of decentralized actions which will take place in April. If you want to get involved, feel free to write to the listed contacts.
  • 30th March, the Netherlands: conference on the struggles in the health sector in Europe organized by FNV trade union federation (contact: [email protected])
  • 3rd April, Brussels, Belgium: action in front of the European Parliament organized by Plate-forme d’action santé et solidarité (contact: [email protected])
  • 4th March, Milan, Italy: conference on the funding and accessibility of health care organized by Medicina Democratica ONLUS (contact: [email protected])
  • 7th April, Spain: manifestations in the different regions organized by Mareas Blancas (contact: [email protected])
  • 7th April, North Macedonia: press conference in front of the Ministry of Health organized by Association for emancipation, solidarity and equality of women (ESE) (contact: [email protected])
  • 23rd April, Brussels, Belgium: conference at the European Parliament “‘Open access’ to Health for All!”
  • 25th April, Mannheim, Germany: actions on accessibility of health care in case of Multiple Sclerosis organized by PHM Germany (contact: [email protected])
  • TBD, Croatia: events on improving social, environmental, ecological, and gender determinants of health organized by Organization for Workers’ Initiative and Democratization (OWID, contact: [email protected])
JOIN THE CAMPAIGN! Join us by adding the details of your action or event on the interactive map available here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=16ojtity-URnTu9-JrtIyXWujvktjIZLv&usp=sharing, or by e-mailing the information to [email protected]. Don’t forget to share your photos and videos with us through social media by using #health4all and #action4health! You can also show your support by joining a white sheet action in the days around April 7th by hanging a white sheet on your window, taking a picture and sharing it with the same hashtag on social media. More information on this action can be found on the European Network’s website: http://europe-health-network.net/.  * We are critically aware that this map does not recognise Palestine, we strongly condemn this fact and commit to develop a new map recognising Palestine for all future mobilisations.