Bulletin #99: World Health Day marked amid war, austerity, and resistance

This fortnight

Israeli attacks on health workers and infrastructure in Palestine continue, with hospitals repeatedly targeted suffering new and devastating blows. Al-Ahli Hospital is among the latest hit: its emergency and laboratory services were forced to shut down following a targeted strike and a last-minute displacement order by occupation forces.

As health activists marked World Health Day on April 7, the People’s Health Movement began launching chapters of the new Global Health Watch. Co-editor Chiara Bodini spoke to us about the significance of the upcoming volume and its connections to grassroots health movements worldwide.

In the United States, decisions made by the Trump administration are beginning to reverberate both domestically and internationally. US trade unions are mobilizing against cuts to medical care and research, while institutions in Latin America are already feeling the impact of dismantled international cooperation programs.

Meanwhile in Europe, new data compiled by trade unions warns against the extreme dependence on overtime in healthcare systems, which is pushing health workers to exhaustion. And in a new podcast, the Working Group on Access to Medicines – India shares the story of patients with spinal muscular atrophy fighting for equitable access to essential treatment.

The next issue of People’s Health Dispatch will be published in the week of May 5.