Paris 2012 : European Conference in defence of public and universal health service and social protection 12th and 13th of May

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Last November in Katowice (Poland), a European conference was held on the defence of public health and social care systems. It was decided call a new conference May 2012 in Paris, to continue our analysis and establish joint mobilizations.
(See attachment : "Second appeal in defence of public health service").



This new conference will be held on the 12th and 13th of May 2012 in Paris.

Everywhere in Europe, the crisis of national debts is used as an excuse to damage public hospital, welfare, patients, and health workers. As a result we see difficulties of access to health care for the poorest, savage closures of  beds, services, and even hospitals, acceleration of hospital privatization, increase taxation of patients, or like in Poland, replacing of employee status with self-employed status or imposing ‘garbage contracts’ outside of labour legislation.

This means the rejection of public finance system and social security in favour of private insurance benefits. In England, the sweeping “reform” will break up the National Health Service and create a competitive market and far-reaching privatisation, alongside £20 billion cuts in the health budget.
 In all European countries, different austerity measures in health services aim at dismantling the egalitarian solidarity systems. This is one further example of how governments make the workers and the society pay for the economic crisis they have created. This proves the importance of an international resistance to privatizations and austerity policies.

The Polish government’s decision to replace of employee status with self-employed status is a danger for all Polish workers but it also represents an laboratory test which could spread over all European countries.

This situation needs a common action by health workers, patients, citizens, national resistance and solidarity in defence of public health and social security system, and international initiatives to defend universal access to an egalitarian solidarity health system.

There is a choice between the needs of a public health service and those of private bankers. We have already chosen: equal access to a free health system, the democracy of a public health system, public finances instead of private profits.

The appeal for this conference is supported by:

Free Trade-Union ‘August 1980’ (Poland),
National Trade-Union of Nurse and Midwife – Silesia (Poland)
Trade union OZZPSR - National Union of Workers of the Emergency Service (Poland)
KZZPRM - Trade Union of Medical Rescue Employees (Poland)
‘SUD Santé Sociaux’ trade-union (France)
Health Emergency (Britain)
National Coordination of Committees to Defend Hospitals and Maternities of Proximity (France)
Coordination Santé Solidarité Gironde (France)
Union Syndicale des Psychiatres - Trade Union of Psychiatrists (France)
Initiative of Women against the Debt (Greece)
Federation of the Hospital Doctors of Greece (ONTE)
People Health Movement (PHM)
Tip Dernegi - Medical Association (Turkey)

 If interested, please contact the organization committee below:

* Mme Françoise NAY 33607890657 mail : jean.rostandivry@wanadoo.fr for the National coordination of the defense committees of the hospitals and maternities of proximity (Coordination nationale des comités de défense des hôpitaux et maternités de proximité).
* Mr Bruno PERCEBOIS 33670343587 mail perceboisbruno@club-internet.fr PMI doctor (médecin de PMI - protection maternelle et infantile)
* Mme BINOT Fabienne 33683204807 mail fbinot@sud-sante.org et M Vladimir NIEDDU 33603403079  mail nieddubacle@free.fr  for the French trade-union SUD Santé Sociaux
* Mr Jan MALEWSKI  33634734875 janmalewski@free.fr correspondent in France of WZZ « Sierpien 80 » (Free Trade Union « August 80 », Poland).