Come together to achieve

Health For All

I have this pain in my knee that won’t go away.

Why don’t you go show it to the doctor?

I can’t. He will ask me to do some expensive tests. Like an MRI.

I can’t afford all that.

It seems odd that modern medicine is making it more difficult for the poor to seek help.

I wonder if that’s what all those well meaning scientists had in mind…

Modern science has the potential to ease a lot of suffering.

But too often doing things the modern way only means the same relief for extra cost.

What happened to the doctor who listened to you, palpated your leg with his hand, then prescribed something that made the pain go away?

That sounds so unscientific.

MRI’s are so much sexier. Why should young doctors not rely on them?

There are still enough patients who can afford to pay.

And enough businessmen who profit from doctors using MRIs.

And enough politicians who profit from businessmen doing well.

And enough of us who have shares in the medical industry.

Many of us profit when doctors use MRIs.

That’s how we can afford them!

What about those who can’t afford to buy shares in the medical industry or pay for MRIs?

Maybe doctors think the poor don’t need MRIs. Only the rich.

Yet doctors are still unwilling to treat the poor.

So the health system is designed so that the poor don’t get access to cheap treatment because doctors prefer to treat the rich?

Wow. I’ve never linked knee pain to politics before.

But it is true. Politics and business affect our health and our bodies.

Whether we are rich or poor…

Often they affect us in a bad way.

More money can be made from making treatment costly.

And people with the power to do so often give into the temptation.

OK. So I agree that politicians and big businessmen affect our health.

But what can I do about it?

It is impossible for me to stand up to the big people alone.

What can I do?

Why should I do anything at all?

I’m healthy right now.

Why wait till you are sick or poor to do something to protect your health?

Better protect yourself when you are still healthy.

If vaccines can protect us from germs what do you think can protect us from politicians and big businessmen?

I wonder whether there is something like a social vaccine …

There is. There has always been.

I remember this from my days fighting for India’s independence.

What? Tell us grandpa.

The most important thing back then was that we struggled together.

If we could come together to protect our independence we can definitely do the same to protect our health.

How can we come together?

Look how different we all are.

Maybe for a start we can all stand a bit closer…

Er .. Maybe we should do a little more.

How have other people come together to protect their health?

Maybe we can learn from them.

I once met someone who told me a story about some people in a place called Barwani in Madhya Pradesh.

Between 19th and 22nd May 2008, around 200 people gathered outside a government Community Health Centre in Barwani District to demand improvement in health services.

Groups of villagers directly observed services along with Village Health Committee members and Accredited Social Health Activists of the NRHM.

Villagers had direct dialogue with doctors of the Community Health Centre regarding poor services offered.

As a result doctors started coming on time and staying for the entire day. Ambulance services were made available to patients for the first time.

Separate needles began to be used for each patient.

Health staff no longer demanded charges for services offered.

Wah. Wah. Ye kya bhat he.

But you must remember that merely ensuring that the government hospitals function does not ensure health.

Health means we need access to food.

Health means we need access to clean water.

Health means we need access to work.

Health means we need access to justice.

Wow. We need a lot more people to ensure all that.

Maybe we should get more people interested in health.

OK.

To protect our health we need to protect our Right To Food.

To protect our health we need to protect our Right To Education.

To protect our health we need to protect our Right To Information.

Yes. We must all work against all obstacles to health.

So you mean all this is working for health?

Lack of health care is definitely an obstacle.

So is malnutrition, poverty and ignorance.

Everyone should be allowed the opportunity to live in good health.

We believe in Health For All.

We are all Health For All activists.

Who is threatening our rights?

People who have the power to do so.

Why?

Because although they are rich they feel poor.

They want more. Even at our expense.

Now that we are together I feel more secure.

How do we coordinate between each other?

Well in today’s globalised world communicating with each other has become easier.

We have mobile phones, email, Facebook …

As well as the more traditional methods such as meetings, workshops and assemblies…

Did you hear about this big assembly of Health For All activists in the year 2000 in Dhaka, Bangaldesh?

Apparently lots of people were furious that the World Health Organisation had forgotten its promise of ‘Health For All by 2000 AD’.

So they met to discuss what is to be done.

1454 health activists from 75 countries came together. Just like us.

They found that they had a lot in common….

They agreed on a common understanding of the problem and a common plan of action.

They came up with a People’s Charter for Health.

Maybe we should all take some time to read it.

Aargh. This is a really tough document to read.

Maybe we should invite someone from People’s Health Movement to talk to us.

Move over.

He can’t get into the room.

Hello friends.

I’ve come here to share with you about the People’s Health Movement.

People’s Health Movement is a network of Health For All activists.

It is the largest network of Health For All activists in the world.

It is organised into regional and local level circles as well as issue based circles.

It is coordinated by national and global level secretariats.It is coordinated by global and national level secretariats.

The Indian secretariat is currently situated in Bhopal and is hosted by the Madhya Pradesh Vigyan Sabha.

Most of the important decisions in India are made by a National Coordination Committee who meet regularly.

Likewise at the global level we have the Global Steering Committee.

You are probably wondering how to join…

Just turn up.

You could also endorse the People’s Charter for Health by sending a email to the global secretariat.

Visit www.phmovement.org for more details.

Thank you.

Clap.Clap.

Clap.Clap.

Clap.Clap.

Clap. Clap.

Did you notice how PHM guy looked just like us?

Maybe because he is just like us…

Wow. That was a good talk.

Look at how our numbers have increased.

Lets start a local People’s Health Movement circle.

Health For All

Now!

Health For All

Now!

That was satisfying.

Now lets do something that will actually affect

someone’s health.

We should network with more activists from around the world.

That would strengthen our local campaigns.

People’s Health Movement makes this possible.

We can now come together to represent our views at the World Health

Organisation.

Is forming a PHM circle the only thing we can do?

No. There are hundreds of ways to protect our own

health.

We just have to find the way that is most

appropriate for us.

All we are saying is that we must understand two important things about

health if we are to remain healthy.

One. That politics and business affect our bodies

and our health.

Two. That we can counter the ill effects of business

and politics by staying together.

Thank you.