Rome, May 24 (beraking latest news Salute) – On May 29, over 60 realities including collectives, associations and trade unions launched an international mobilization in Europe and beyond, in defense of public health, which guarantees all and all citizens universal access to treatment. For decades now, public investments destined for social and health services – reads a note from the promoters – are no longer able to respond to the health needs of the population. The perpetration of austerity policies has led to the closure of numerous beds, a dramatic reduction in personnel, facilities and materials for care services.
The current health crisis, linked to the Covid-19 syndemia – they denounce – has dramatically shown the limits of the current corporate management of health services: health and scientific research must be able to be independent from profit dynamics to meet the needs of citizens. All essential treatments and services must be considered common goods of the community and patents from Covid-19 vaccines must be removed as soon as possible.
“For all these reasons – is the appeal – we invite citizens and health professionals to mobilize at the international level on May 29. The actions already organized on the occasion of the international mobilization of 05/29 will take place in Barcelona, Brussels, Madrid, Marseille , Milan, Montreal, Paris, Rennes, Rome, but numerous other events are being organized.
These are the claims of the associations, trade unions and collectives involved in the initiative: universal accessibility to treatments and drugs (to Covid-19 vaccines in particular); we strongly ask that political decisions go in the direction of an implementation of welfare systems, with solid and long-lasting investments in this sense; development of new public health policies that invest in the right to housing, in order to offer dignified living conditions to the entire population. We are opposed to any form of discrimination in accessibility to care and education, which must be considered important determinants of health.
And again: massive increase in public investments in the recruitment of personnel and in the renovation of reception facilities for sick and frail patients, salary revaluation of all health professionals, increase in the workforce; overcoming the business logic in the management of health services, with direct involvement of professionals and users in organizational and decision-making processes. Stop the outsourcing of services and public financing of private affiliated structures; cancellation of the debt of public health and social organizations, abandonment of profit and balance sheet logics in health services (in particular abolition of the system of economic quantification of the absorption of resources linked to hospitalizations).
The call for international mobilization is available at: https://forms.gle/1rQx8Z2kUYkeby497, while a press conference on the Zoom platform is scheduled for Thursday 27 May at 10 am.