Bulletin #75: Hunger and disease rampant in Palestine and Sudan as wars continue

People's Health Dispatch

May 6, 2024 • 6 min read

This fortnight

Health workers have been killed under torture, and hundreds of bodies have been discovered buried by civil defense workers on hospital grounds. With mental health services decimated and no water or food available for thousands of displaced people, the health system in the Gaza Strip continues to function despite these conditions persisting for over half a year. As the Israeli Occupation Forces prepare for a ground operation in Rafah, concerns are growing about the possibility of maintaining what remains of the health system and rebuilding it after a ceasefire.

The people of Sudan have marked a grim anniversary as the civil war has now extended beyond a year. During this period, Sudan has become one of the world’s largest displacement crises. The country also faces hunger, a water shortage, and the spread of communicable diseases, such as dengue.

Infectious diseases previously thought to be under control in the Global North, such as measles, are reemerging after decades of underfunding in public health campaigns and vaccination drives. In the United States, a measles outbreak in Chicago has led to racist interpretations of disease transmission, yet the underlying issue remains the health system's inability to provide adequate care and living conditions for everyone.

In the US, harmful policy changes continue in the field of reproductive and sexual health rights. On May 1, Florida began enforcing a ban on abortions after six weeks - before most women even realize they are pregnant.

Meanwhile, changes in some Latin American countries bring more hope. In Colombia, the government of Gustavo Petro has taken a significant step by implementing a compulsory license for the HIV drug dolutegravir, making this treatment accessible to thousands who previously could not afford it due to high costs.

In Brazil, as debates about digital health intensify, activists are advocating for a stronger role for the Unified Health System, which would enable the country to provide higher-quality healthcare without depending on Big Tech.

Activists are also advocating for shifts in ongoing global health discussions. A new round of negotiations on the Pandemic Treaty began at the end of April. Although members of the World Health Organization are finally discussing the text of a potential agreement, analysts warn that this draft has been stripped of many provisions that could address the disparities between the Global South and Global North.

Similarly, Universal Health Coverage, a central goal of the Sustainable Development Goals campaign, has largely failed. Efforts toward UHC have not improved, and in some cases, have worsened health access, suggesting that global health frameworks need a fundamentally new approach, free of private sector interference.

In focus: Health in Palestine

Israeli forces tortured a surgeon to death, the latest in Israel’s targeting of Gaza’s health workers

The killing of another surgeon in Israeli custody highlights the ongoing targeting of health workers amid the war on Gaza

Gaza’s health workers and patients face unprecedented mental health crisis

MSF reports a severe mental health crisis among health workers and patients in Gaza, caused by relentless Israeli attacks and destruction of healthcare