In the context of a crisis of
capitalism, the health of the population has deteriorated considerably
throughout Europe due to the economic, ecological and social crisis, which
worsens inequality in all its forms.
The past twelve months have
seen an acceleration of the crisis in Europe. A second banking crisis is
beginning in Europe; austerity policies jointly conducted in all countries, and
by the European Union, are about to lead to a global recession, and in Greece
and in other countries to a genuine depression.
In stages, European leaders
want to make austerity stronger and more irrevocable through the ratification
of the Fiscal Compact and the European Stability Mechanism (ESM).
Public debt, unemployment,
poverty and inequality are increasing at an alarming rate.
Austerity is said to be
inevitable and debt a natural calamity - everywhere they have become the
pretext for harsh attacks against public health and welfare systems and against
social rights. Greece, which is the emblematic case for all of Europe, is
experiencing a humanitarian and health crisis without precedent. The most
affected countries are now those of Southern and Eastern Europe.
Austerity plans on health and
welfare are made under pressure from multinational health corporations and
private insurance systems.
These multinationals play a
major role in the destruction of social rights, collective agreements and union
rights (collective bargaining, freedom of union activity, working conditions
...), in reducing wages and the wage share in the GDP (made worse by the new
economic surveillance, with the control of "unit labour costs") and
in more precarious jobs (return to day labour, increase of temporary contracts,
phoney self-employment...)
These austerity policies
violate the human right to health and destroy social and health public
services. They are of concern to all, and particularly affect some :
1. Women, who are a clear
majority in those public services and occupy the most precarious jobs, who are
the first to be laid off when hospital, nurseries, centres for women's health
and reproductive rights, or structures caring for the disabled close. They are
in charge of most of the "labour of social reproduction" which austerity
policies massively send back to the domestic sphere.
2. Patients bearing a higher
tax burden, the disabled, sacrificed to the crisis, not only excluded from
work, but also often excluded from the institutions that are supposed to
welcome them.
3. Migrants, undocumented
people, often excluded from health and welfare systems.
Beyond the necessary national
resistance in each country, these measures require concerted action by health
professionals, patients, all citizens. This implies a sharing of experiences of
national struggles in defence of public health and social security, the
organization of practical solidarity during struggles, a reflection on the
construction of international initiatives for the defence of universal, public,
egalitarian and solidarity-based health.
After the conference of
Nanterre (France), which took place on 12 and 13 May 2012, participants from
trade unions, political parties and organisations for the defence of health and
welfare, defending a public health system of high standard throughout Europe,
have stated their support for :
- The building of
a European space for exchange, mobilization and action against the
privatization of health and welfare systems, open to all who wish to act
against austerity on people's health and the decline of social rights and
social protection.
- The
implementation of a European alternative to the liberal project in order to
defend public health and welfare as universal common goods that can no longer
serve the private profits of the shareholders of health or social protection
facilities. Such a programme requires the choice of equal access to health
care, free health care, health democracy, public and collective funding which
must be promoted.
- People's audits
of the debt, especially the debt of hospitals, of social and welfare
institutions with a focus on the impact of the debt for women.
- The setting up
of a permanent network to exchange information on initiatives and for action
against the privatization of health and social security systems and against any
deductible or taxation of the sick and against any measure reducing universal
access to health care.
- The organization
of coordinated press conferences around this statement on June
5, 2012 and of an appeal for solidarity with the Greek people.
- The organization
in each country of a European week of action for the people's
right to health and against the dismantling of public health and the
commodification of health from 1 to 7 October 2012.
- The
representation of each country in the "European white Village" (health workers
camp) in Warsaw during the week of action.
- The organization
of a European Conference on October 7, 2012 in Warsaw.
- The coordination
of a joint communication campaign with the same posters and a
joint petition.
In the awareness that the
promotion of a public health care system and of universal social protection can
not be the exclusive preserve of health professionals and public health
advocacy groups, and that it is of concern to the whole of society, members of
the conference:
- Wish to register
the specificity of this struggle within all the initiatives taken to rebuild a
new European public space and to animate within it a permanent campaign in
defence of the fundamental right to public and universal health services.
- Are part of the
European campaign for the non-ratification of the European Fiscal Compact and
the withdrawal of the European Stability Mechanism.
Nanterre May 13, 2012
Coordination des comités de défense des hôpitaux de proximité France - SUD France - Pologne OZZPIP - People Health’s Movement Grèce - OENTE Grèce USB Italie - MATS Espagne – PCF France – Solidaires France - PPP Pologne – CNE Belgique - RSB Allemagne - ΑΡΣΙ Grèce – LSNPUM Paris – CADTM – ΣΕΜΙΣΕΑ Grèce – CAS Espagne - MMF France - Lup-Loz Slovaquie – FASE France – USP France - Plate Forme Mouvements Sociaux Belgique - Femmes contre la dette Grèce - CADAC France - People before profit Irlande - Les Alternatifs France - Août 80 Pologne.
Coordination des comités de défense des hôpitaux de proximité France - SUD France - Pologne OZZPIP - People Health’s Movement Grèce - OENTE Grèce USB Italie - MATS Espagne – PCF France – Solidaires France - PPP Pologne – CNE Belgique - RSB Allemagne - ΑΡΣΙ Grèce – LSNPUM Paris – CADTM – ΣΕΜΙΣΕΑ Grèce – CAS Espagne - MMF France - Lup-Loz Slovaquie – FASE France – USP France - Plate Forme Mouvements Sociaux Belgique - Femmes contre la dette Grèce - CADAC France - People before profit Irlande - Les Alternatifs France - Août 80 Pologne.
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