People's Health Dispatch

Bulletin #85: Floods loom in Gaza, health workers resist worldwide

People's Health Dispatch -

This fortnight

As colder weather approaches, the risk of flooding in Gaza is rising, where water and sewage infrastructure has been devastated by Israeli attacks. Thousands of displaced people are now living in high-risk areas, raising concerns about further outbreaks of waterborne and vector-borne diseases. Meanwhile, Israeli assaults on healthcare continue, with the death toll among health workers reaching unprecedented levels.

In the Philippines, health workers are at the forefront of the fight against the privatization of healthcare, while also facing government repression. Red-tagging of health professionals puts them at risk of imprisonment, violence, and even death as they continue to defend the right to health.

Serbia’s public pharmacies are similarly under threat of privatization, the latest step in the dismantling of a health system rooted in socialist principles. Workers and patients are standing in opposition to this ongoing process.

In London, activists protested outside Gilead Sciences, demanding the company make its groundbreaking HIV drug lenacapavir affordable for the Global South by allowing generic production. Despite the drug’s potential, Gilead remains focused on profit.

In the latest episode of Charter4Health, Miguel Garcia interviews Vivian Camacho, National Director of Traditional Medicine in Bolivia’s Ministry of Health, discussing the importance of ancestral knowledge and traditional medicine.

In focus: Health in Palestine

Fears of flooding add to Gaza’s health crisis

International networks warn of looming public health threats from potential flooding in Gaza, as Israel continues to block hospital deliveries and obstruct medical evacuations

Death toll of Gaza’s health workers crosses 1,000

A new report from the Palestinian Ministry of Health warns that over 1,000 health workers in Gaza have been killed by Israeli forces since October 2023. Meanwhile, a severe shortage of essential hygiene supplies continues to exacerbate the health crisis

Filipino health workers stand up against state repression

Health workers in the Philippines are fighting for a just healthcare system while facing state repression, highlights a recent discussion by Viva Salud, Quinoa, and ICHRP

Can Serbia “cure” its public pharmacies?

Pharmacy services in Serbia have become entirely profit-driven, with the needs of the population pushed aside

Short reads

London activists push Gilead to lower price of new HIV drug

Protesters condemn Gilead for prioritizing exorbitant profits over public health, accusing the pharmaceutical company of obstructing widespread generic production of new HIV drug lenacapavir

Podcast: Charter4Health

Ancestral knowledge and traditional medicine

In the latest episode of Charter4Health, we explore the topic of traditional medicine and ancestral knowledge with Vivian Camacho, a Quechua physician and health activist. Tune in to hear her insights on ancestral knowledge and her work as National Director of Traditional Medicine in Bolivia’s Ministry of Health

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