Health for All
 To check the unethical and
exploita-tive medical practices flourishing in India, a movement called the Jan Swasthya
Abhiyan (JSA) was launched. Its activities include policy-level interventions for right to
health care, primary health care, women’s health issues, child health and
malnutrition, privatisation of health services, indigenous medicine and folk healing
traditions and mental health issues. JSA is the Indian circle of the People’s Health
Movement (PHM) — a worldwide movement to establish health and equitable development
as top priorities. The first People’s Health Assembly was organised in Savar,
Bangladesh, in December 2000. This initiated the coming together of people’s
movements and other non-governmental organisations all over the world to reiterate the
pledge of "Health for All", taken for the first time long back in 1978. JSA has
adopted the ‘Right to Health and Health Care’ as its key campaign theme.
Instances where primary health centres and public hospitals are regularly denying basic
health services to people are documented by JSA. Presently, JSA is a coalition of various
voluntary organisations and people’s movements involved in health care delivery and
health policy. This network has numerous constituent organisations. Twenty-one major
national networks constitute the National Coordination Committee of JSA, which is the
national decision-making body of the coalition.
For more information contact:
Dr Ravi Narayan
Coordinator, People’s Health Movement
People's Health Movement Secretariat (Global)
c/o Community Health Cell, # 367,
"Srinivasa Nilaya", Jakkasandra I Main, I Block,
Koramangala, Bangalore 560 034, INDIA
Email: secretariat@phmovement.org
Phone: +91-80-51280009 Fax: +91-80-25525372
Friendly yours
Pune-based Medico Friend Circle (MFC) is basically
a non-governmental organisation comprising health activists who believe in equality and
equity of health. It was started in 1974 with an objective to establish a comprehensive
public health system and encourage active community participation in planning and carrying
out preventive measures. It is actively working towards evolving an objective and rational
approach to a health care system that can cater to the needs of a vast majority of the
Indian populace. It communicates its experiences and information through its bulletins and
other publications.
 During
the Bhopal disaster of 1985, the organisation provided tech-nical support to the health
activities of voluntary agencies and action groups working with the gas victims. It
brought to the fore all the issues related to maternal and child health and took up the
cause of the women affected in this catastrophe.
The organisation works on a lot of contemporary public
health issues, critically analyses the government’s health policy on diseases like
human immunodeficiency virus, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, tuberculosis, and
communicates its views in its bulletin and at its annual meeting. It networks with the
local and national organisations in advocacy and policy lobbying of the health-related
issues.
In February 1985, MFC worked to curb the unethical
fertility control practices that were being followed in the family planning programme in
India. It became a co-respondent to the government's petition to effect a ban on
quinacrine — an anti-malarial drug that was used for sterilising women, but adversely
affected them in the process.
MFC is also an active founder member of the All India
Drug Action Network (AIDAN). It formed a Rational Drug Policy Cell in 1980 to contribute
to the campaign for a rational drug policy through AIDAN. It offers a forum for sharing of
experiences, with the aim of realising the goal outlined above and taking up issues of
common concern for action.
For more information contact:
Ms Manisha Gupte
11, Archana, Kanchanjunga Arcade
163, Solapur Road, Hadapsar
Pune 411028. INDIA
Phone: +91-20-6875058
e-mail: masum@vsnl.com |
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