Bulletin #104: Global struggles for health sovereignty: from Palestine to Mexico

People's Health Dispatch

21 Jul 2025 • 3 min read

This fortnight

After 21 months of relentless attacks and blockades, Gaza’s pharmaceutical supplies were nearly exhausted by mid-July. The shortages are affecting everyone, from children to cancer patients, while the risk of infections, including meningitis and widespread skin conditions, continues to rise. As Israel’s genocide grinds on, Palestinians are left to rely on makeshift solutions that offer only partial relief. “I’ve taken the children to the hospital several times seeking treatment,” a mother living in a tent near Gaza’s port told Al Mezan Center for Human Rights. “Each time, I was given a type of ointment that slightly relieves the itching, but does not heal the infections.”

Across the world, health movements continue to push for a new kind of pharmaceutical system: one that meets people’s needs rather than corporate profit margins. A key part of this vision involves challenging the myths Big Pharma promotes about drug discovery, research and development, and making the case for a Public Pharma model that centers public health over private interests.

Mexico’s government could be taking early steps in that direction. In early July, President Claudia Sheinbaum announced a new plan to strengthen the public production of medicines and medical supplies, aiming to reduce the country’s dependence on multinational pharmaceutical companies.

Meanwhile, inside the halls of the World Health Organization, debates over how to confront climate change and its impact on health remain heated. During the World Health Assembly in May, one thing became clear yet again: the Global North is committed to only one path: the one that accelerates global destruction, while refusing to take responsibility for the consequences.