Bulletin #95: A comeback for people-centered health models?

This fortnight

During his first meeting with legal counsel, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya confirmed what many feared: since his abduction from Kamal Adwan Hospital, he has endured torture and abuse by Israeli occupation forces—mirroring the experiences of thousands of political prisoners.

While Palestinian health workers struggle to provide care amid a fragile ceasefire, President Donald Trump is pushing policies that further restrict healthcare access both in the US and abroad. In his analysis, Dr. B. Ekbal examines the rise of anti-science figures within the new administration.

In Kerala, India, a different story is unfolding. The public health system there has made major advances in expanding access, delivering cancer care, and treating rare diseases—offering a robust alternative to privatized healthcare. This people-first approach echoes past models like the USSR's system, which inspired many Brazilian health workers.

As support for Public Pharma grows, Alan Rossi Silva from the People’s Health Movement stresses the need to bring these ideas into academic discourse, challenging the current profit-driven paradigm.

Featured articles

Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya has been tortured and denied care while in Israeli prison

In his first meeting with a lawyer since December 2024, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya confirmed fears of torture and medical neglect in Israeli prison

The rise of anti-science health officials in the US

Dr. B. Ekbal explores how Trump’s appointment of anti-science figures to key health positions could shape US healthcare

Kerala’s healthcare revolution: A triumph over corporate greed and inequality

Kerala’s public healthcare system is providing accessible, high-quality treatment while challenging the profit motive of the private sector

When Brazilian health workers discovered Soviet healthcare

During visits to the USSR, Brazilian health workers witnessed a universal healthcare system with modern technology and well-paid staff, sparking public health debates at home

Public Pharma: still a missing debate in mainstream academia

Despite drug shortages and soaring prices, mainstream academia continues to ignore Public Pharma as a solution

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Rising food prices push healthy eating out of reach in Britain : Peoples Dispatch

Rising food costs in Britain are making nutritious meals unaffordable for millions, hitting working-class families the hardest

Peoples DispatchPeoples Health Dispatch

Nurses in Malaysia Protest Increase in Working Hours

Malaysia’s government plans to increase nurses’ working hours from 42 to 45 hours per week. PSI unions Malayan Nurses Union and Sabah Medical Services Union are leading opposition - research shows that when nurses are forced to work more than 40 hours per week a range of risks increase.

Public Services International The global union federation of workers in public servicesJyotsna Singh

A Key Opportunity to Check Trump: Stopping Medicaid Cuts

Defeating the GOP’s proposed Medicaid cuts, which will then fund huge tax cuts for the rich, is an urgent priority. It’s a chance to reestablish the popularity of the welfare state in American politics and hand Donald Trump and Elon Musk a much-needed defeat.

Paul Heideman