The European Network Against Commercialization and Privatization of Health and Social Protection and the People’s Health Movement welcomed the convergence of 160 organisations across Europe under the motto "Let’s spread solidarity not the virus" on the occasion of the day of action against the commercialisation of health on 7 April.
Despite being confined to their homes, hundreds of people, individually and collectively, joined the action, demonstrating the people’s strong support for a public or non-profit health system that serves the population. Find the interactive map of the 7 April action by following the link here: bit.ly/Agir4Health
In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the decentralized actions of 7 April have also shown that health workers, patients, activists, and many others agree:
1. Immediate human and material resources to fight the pandemic and protect people’s health in the future: recruitment and training of health personnel, urgent staffing and stockpile management of materials are needed to deal with crisis situations.
2. Austerity policies and increasing marketisation, which have led to the systematic dismantling of public health systems in Europe and the lack of qualified staff in hospitals, retirement homes and the social sector, should be abandoned once and for all.
3. Medicines and protective equipment have to be developed and produced in the interest of public health, not to foster the profits of the industry. Effective and safe medications, protective equipment and vaccines for prevention and treatment of Covid 19, must be available for free to people no matter where they live, without out-of-pocket expenditures and paid for by national health systems at fair prices.
Once the pandemic is over, the struggle to achieve “Health for All” will continue. The idea of Health for All encompasses not only a vision of comprehensive health care equally accessible to everyone but also the idea of a world rooted in harmony, equity, and solidarity. This is why we reject the current economic model of the EU, which is based on austerity, not solidarity.
We demand a radical reorientation of public funds towards the basic rights of the population, such as employment, decent wages and housing, education, energy, food and water.
To achieve this, let us confine the financial markets. We must steer away from brutal fiscal policies such as those we experienced in the previous crisis. The 750 billion euros from the European Central Bank (ECB) should not be used to feed the financial markets but to finance the social and ecological needs of the people; it should be focused on protecting and advancing the physical, mental and social well-being of all. Tax evasion must be combated and heavily punished.
Instead of systems faithful to market logic and uncontrolled competition, we need to drive a transition towards a socially and ecologically just and responsible world. The needs and organisation of care systems should be under the direct democratic control of citizen committees and coordinated at all levels of society.
Therefore, we urge the European states to adopt a more sustained strategy to negotiate the prices of medicines, medical devices and vaccines. If the pharmaceutical industry insists on setting unduly high prices, patent rights must be revoked. Similarly, production of medicines and medical devices and stockpiles must be under the control of the public authorities; in the event of a break in manufacture or supply, patents must be revoked. Moreover, we demand the allocation of necessary funds for public and independent pharmacological research. It is important in the near future to set up a strategy to move towards a coordinated and socialized public European space of research and production of new drugs.
Finally, we need to support and ensure the success of the mobilisation of health and other essential workers that over the last months have been working tirelessly to protect our health and lives in the face of inadequate personal protection and, very often, inhumane working hours.
This is why the European Network, the People’s Health Movement, and all signatory organizations call for unitary responses on the local, national, and international level to build a "Day After" that will break with the liberal recipes of the past.
We propose to the social movement as a whole to set a date in September 2020 as the first international initiative for the expression of our demands.
LET US FIGHT TOGETHER FOR A STRONG UNIVERSAL PUBLICLY FUNDED HEALTH SYSTEM CAPABLE OF DEALING WITH HEALTH CRISES TODAY AND TOMORROW
Contact: http://europe-health-network.net/ - +32499 42 44 48 - europeanhealthnetwork@gmail.com
People’s Health Movement
https://phmovement.org/ - ana@phmovement.org
And the first co-signatories / Et les premières co-signataires / en de eerste ondertekenaars / Y los primeros firmantes / E i primi cofirmatari (dd. 10.05.2020)
1. Actieplatform gezondheid en solidariteit - Plate-forme d’action santé et Solidarité (Belgium)
2. Actrices et les acteurs des temps présents (Belgium)
3. ADIF INFOR-FEMMES (Belgium)
4. AIEA - Associazione italiana esposti amianto (Italy)
5. Aînés du cdH (Belgium)
6. AKTINA (Belgium)
7. Algemene Centrale ABVV - Centrale Générale FGTB (Belgium)
8. Alter Summit (Europe)
9. AРК - Автономна Работническа Конфедерация - Confédération autonome des travailleurs (Bulgaria)
10. Artsen Zonder Vakantie / Médecins Sans Vacances (Belgium)
11. Asociación Canaria de Neuropsiquiatría y Salud Mental (Spain)
12. Asociación en Defensa de la Sanidad Pública de Aragón ADSPA (Spain)
13. Attac Bruxelles 2 (Belgium)
14. Attac Germany - working group social security systems (Germany)
15. Attac Lille (France)
16. BAPN - Belgian Anti-poverty Network (Belgium)
17. СБМС - Синдикат на Български Медицински Специалисти - Syndicat des Spécialistes de Santé Bulgares (Мая Илиева (Bulgaria)
18. CAS Madrid (Coordinadora Antiprivatización de la Sanidad de Madrid) (Spain)
19. CBCS - Conseil Bruxellois de Coordination Sociopolitique (Belgium)
20. Centre for Research & Education in Public Health, Health Policy and Primary Health Care [CEHP} (Greece)
21. Centro di Salute internazionale e interculturale (CSI) - APS (Italy)
22. Centrum Algemeen Welzijnswerk - CAW Groep (Belgium)
23. CEO - Corporate Europe Observatory (Europe)
24. CETRI - Centre tricontinental (Belgium)
25. CGSP-ACOD Centrale Générale des Services Publics - Algemene Centrale der Openbare Diensten (Belgium)
26. CGT Sanidad Sector II, Aragón (Spain)
27. CNE - Centrale Nationale des Employés (Belgium
28. Collectif Alpha (Belgium)
29. Collectif Inter Urgences (France)
30. Comitato difesa sanità pubblica Milano-sud ovest (Italy)
31. Confederación de Asociaciones Vecinales de Aragón (Spain)
32. Confédération des Seniors Socialistes (Belgium)
33. Confederación General del Trabajo - CGT (Spain)
34. Coordinadora Valenciana por la Defensa del Sistema Publico de Pensiones (Spain)
35. Coordinadora Estatal de Mareas Blancas (Spain)
36. Coordinamento toscano diritto alla salute (Italy)
37. CSC Services Publics (Belgium)
38. Cultures et Santé (Belgium)
39. Derechos Humanos Madrid (Spain)
40. DMD, Asociación Derecho a Morir Dignamente (Spain)
41. Espacio Comun 15M 2015m (Spain)
42. Federacion De Asociaciones Para La Defensa De La Sanidad Publica (Spain)
43. Féderation des Maisons Médicales (Belgium)
44. Fédération laïque de centres de planning familial - FLCPF (Belgium)
45. Féderation SUD Santé-Sociaux (France)
46. Femmes Prévoyantes Socialistes - FPS (Belgium)
47. Filef NE (Belgium)
48. Finance Watch (Belgium)
49. Foro Movimientos Sociales (Spain)
50. Forum per il Diritto alla Salute (Italy)
51. FRAVM, Federacion Regional Associaciones de Vecios (Spain)
52. Global Health Advocates (France-Belgium)
53. International Association of Health Policy in Europe [IAHPE] (Greece)
54. La Santé en Lutte / De Zorg in Actie (Belgium)
55. La Rue (Belgium)
56. Lama (Belgium)
57. LEF-FGE Links Ecologisch Forum-Forum Gauche Ecologique (Belgium)
58. Le Monde selon les femmes (Belgium)
59. Lire et Ecrire Bruxelles (Belgium)
60. LUSS - La Ligue des Usagers des Services de Santé (Belgium)
61. Maison Médicale Santé Plurielle (Belgium)
62. MATS - Movimiento Asambleario de Trabajador@s de Sanidad (Spain)
63. Medicina Democratica onlus (Italy)
64. Medicina Rural (Spain)
65. Medecine pour le Peuple – Geneeskunde voor het Volk (Belgium)
66. Medecins du Monde – Dokters van de Wereld (Belgium)
67. Médicament bien commun (France)
68. Medico international (Germany)
69. Mesa en Def. de la Sanidad Pública de Madrid, MEDSAP - Marea Blanca (Spain)
70. MOC Mouvement Ouvrier Chretien (Belgium)
71. Organización Coordinadora Estatal Pensiones (Spain)
72. O’YES (Organization for Youth Education and Sexuality) (Belgium)
73. Periferia (Belgium)
74. PHM People’s Health Movement UK (United Kingdom)
75. Plataforma de Hepatitis C - PLAFHC (Spain)
76. Plataforma Sanidad Pública Zona N, San Sebastián de los Reyes, Madrid, Belén Ochoa (Spain)
77. Plataforma Social en Defensa de la Sanidad Pública de León (Spain)
78. PROGRESS Lawyers Network (Belgium)
79. Réseau Santé Diabète - Bxl (Belgium)
80. Réseau syndical international de solidarité et de luttes (Europe)
81. Rete per il diritto alla salute di Milano e Lombardia (Italy)
82. SEAUS, Sociedad Espanola de Atencion al Usuario de la Sanidad (Spain)
83. SETCa-BBTK Syndicat des employés, techniciens et cadres - Bond van Bedienden, Technici en Kaderleden (Belgium)
84. Society for International Development - SID (Italy)
85. Solidaires 09 (France)
86. Solidaris (Belgium)
87. Union Syndicale de la Psychiatrie (France)
88. Union Syndicale Solidaires (France)
89. Viva Salud (Belgium)
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