Bulletin #84: Gaza fights polio, Public Pharma gains focus in health movements
This fortnight
Since Israel launched its largest attack on the West Bank since 2002, access to healthcare in the occupied Palestinian territories has been further restricted. Over the past two weeks, health workers in the West Bank have been assaulted and used as human shields, while more hospitals and health centers have been stormed by Israeli forces. In Gaza, the polio vaccination campaign continues despite interference from Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) and new evacuation orders near planned vaccination sites.
Sudan’s health system is also in crisis after months of armed conflict, leaving millions without essential care. Women and girls are particularly vulnerable, facing a lack of hygiene supplies, reproductive healthcare, and increased exposure to gender-based violence. In India, high femicide rates continue to fuel mobilizations against gender violence.
Meanwhile, the announcement of a new preventative drug from Gilead has raised hopes for better control of HIV/AIDS. However, as Alan Rossi Silva from the People’s Health Movement highlights, access remains limited under the current pharma model, underscoring the need for a shift to a Public Pharma approach.
Finally, in two new episodes of the Charter4Health podcast, health activists Delen de la Paz and Abhay Shukla discuss the barriers to achieving the right to health, from free trade agreements to the targeted repression of health rights defenders.
In focus: Health in Palestine
Israel targets health workers in the West Bank, obstructs polio campaign in Gaza
Israeli forces have attempted to obstruct a crucial polio vaccination campaign in Gaza while also targeting healthcare workers in the West Bank
Polio vaccination underway in Gaza, but child health remains dependent on peace
Approximately 187,000 children in central Gaza have received their first dose of the polio vaccine, but the Strip’s health system remains crippled by ongoing attacks and severe aid restrictions
Featured articles
Public Pharma vs. abusive prices: the case of the latest HIV-prevention drug
The high price tag on the HIV drug lenacapavir underscores the widespread dysfunction within Big Pharma
Mobilizations in India continue for an end to femicide and better security in public spaces
The left-led movement for safe public spaces for women following the rape and murder of a junior female doctor at Kolkatta’s RG Kar public hospital last month completed almost a month now
The conflict in Sudan has devastated health and healthcare systems
In an IPA-hosted press conference, Sudanese leftists discussed the impact of war on the distribution of proper healthcare
Podcast: Charter4Health
Health rights defenders in the Philippines
In this episode of Charter for Health, Dr. Delen de la Paz, public health physician and coordinator of the People’s Health Movement in the Philippines, discusses the challenges faced by health workers and the economic barriers to healthcare access in the country
Free trade agreements and their impact on health rights
Public health expert Abhay Shukla discusses the effects of free trade agreements, healthcare commercialization, and access to medicines in low and middle-income countries. Also featured is Roshan John, an intellectual property lawyer, sharing insights on the UK-India free trade negotiations on medicines