Come together to achieve
Health For All

I have this pain in my knee that
won’t go away.

Why don’t you go show it to the
doctor?

I can’t. He will ask me to do some
expensive tests. Like an MRI.
I can’t afford all that.

It seems odd that modern
medicine is making it more
difficult for the poor to seek help.

I wonder if that’s what all those
well meaning scientists had in
mind…

Modern science has the potential
to ease a lot of suffering.

But too often doing things the
modern way only means the same
relief for extra cost.

What happened to the doctor who
listened to you, palpated your leg
with his hand, then prescribed
something that made the pain go
away?

That sounds so unscientific.
MRI’s are so much sexier. Why
should young doctors not rely on
them?

There are still enough patients
who can afford to pay.

And enough businessmen who
profit from doctors using MRIs.

And enough politicians who profit
from businessmen doing well.

And enough of us who have
shares in the medical industry.

Many of us profit when doctors
use MRIs.
That’s how we can afford them!

What about those who can’t afford
to buy shares in the medical
industry or pay for MRIs?

Maybe doctors think the poor
don’t need MRIs. Only the rich.
Yet doctors are still unwilling to
treat the poor.

So the health system is designed
so that the poor don’t get access
to cheap treatment because
doctors prefer to treat the rich?

Wow. I’ve never linked knee pain
to politics before.

But it is true. Politics and
business affect our health and our
bodies.
Whether we are rich or poor…

Often they affect us in a bad way.

More money can be made from
making treatment costly.

And people with the power to do
so often give into the temptation.

OK. So I agree that politicians and
big businessmen affect our
health.
But what can I do about it?

It is impossible for me to stand up
to the big people alone.
What can I do?

Why should I do anything at all?
I’m healthy right now.

Why wait till you are sick or poor
to do something to protect your
health?
Better protect yourself when you
are still healthy.

If vaccines can protect us from
germs what do you think can
protect us from politicians and
big businessmen?

I wonder whether there is
something like a social vaccine …

There is. There has always been.
I remember this from my days
fighting for India’s independence.

What? Tell us grandpa.

The most important thing back then
was that we struggled together.

If we could come together to
protect our independence we can
definitely do the same to protect
our health.

How can we come together?
Look how different we all are.

Maybe for a start we can all stand a
bit closer…

Er .. Maybe we should do a little
more.

How have other people come
together to protect their health?
Maybe we can learn from them.

I once met someone who told me
a story about some people in a
place called Barwani in Madhya
Pradesh.

Between 19th and 22nd May 2008,
around 200 people gathered
outside a government Community
Health Centre in Barwani District to
demand improvement in health
services.

Groups of villagers directly
observed services along with
Village Health Committee members
and Accredited Social Health
Activists of the NRHM.

Villagers had direct dialogue with
doctors of the Community Health
Centre regarding poor services
offered.

As a result doctors started coming on
time and staying for the entire day.
Ambulance services were made
available to patients for the first time.

Separate needles began to be used
for each patient.
Health staff no longer demanded
charges for services offered.

Wah. Wah. Ye kya bhat he.

But you must remember that
merely ensuring that the
government hospitals function
does not ensure health.

Health means we need access to
food.

Health means we need access to
clean water.

Health means we need access to
work.

Health means we need access to
justice.

Wow. We need a lot more people to
ensure all that.

Maybe we should get more people
interested in health.

OK.

To protect our health we need to
protect our Right To Food.

To protect our health we need to
protect our Right To Education.

To protect our health we need to
protect our Right To Information.

Yes. We must all work against all
obstacles to health.

So you mean all this is working for
health?

Lack of health care is definitely an
obstacle.
So is malnutrition, poverty and
ignorance.

Everyone should be allowed the
opportunity to live in good health.
We believe in Health For All.

We are all Health For All activists.

Who is threatening our rights?

People who have the power to do
so.

Why?

Because although they are rich
they feel poor.
They want more. Even at our
expense.

Now that we are together I feel
more secure.

How do we coordinate between
each other?

Well in today’s globalised world
communicating with each other
has become easier.

We have mobile phones, email,
Facebook …

As well as the more traditional
methods such as meetings,
workshops and assemblies…

Did you hear about this big
assembly of Health For All activists
in the year 2000 in Dhaka,
Bangaldesh?

Apparently lots of people were
furious that the World Health
Organisation had forgotten its
promise of ‘Health For All by 2000
AD’.

So they met to discuss what is to be
done.
1454 health activists from 75
countries came together. Just like
us.

They found that they had a lot in
common….

They agreed on a common
understanding of the problem and
a common plan of action.

They came up with a
People’s Charter for
Health.

Maybe we should all
take some time to
read it.

Aargh. This is a really
tough document to
read.

Maybe we should
invite someone from
People’s Health
Movement to talk to
us.

Move over.
He can’t get into the room.

Hello friends.

I’ve come here to share with you
about the People’s Health
Movement.

People’s Health Movement is a
network of Health For All
activists.

It is the largest network of Health
For All activists in the world.

It is organised into regional and
local level circles as well as issue
based circles.

It is coordinated by national and
global and
global level secretariats.
national level secretariats.

The Indian secretariat is currently
situated in Bhopal and is hosted
by the Madhya Pradesh Vigyan
Sabha.

Most of the important decisions
in India are made by a National
Coordination Committee who
meet regularly.

Likewise at the global level we
have the Global Steering
Committee.

You are probably wondering how
to join…

Just turn up.

You could also endorse the
People’s Charter for Health by
sending a email to the global
secretariat.

Visit www.phmovement.org for
more details.

Thank you.

Clap.
Clap. Did you notice how PHM
Clap. guy looked just like us?
Clap. Maybe because he is just
Clap. like us…
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.

Wow. That was a good talk.
Look at how our numbers have
increased.

Lets start a local People’s Health
Movement circle.

Health For All
Now!

Health For All
Now!

That was satisfying.

Now lets do something
that will actually affect
someone’s health.

We should network with
more activists from
around the world.

That would strengthen our
local campaigns.
People’s Health Movement
makes this possible.

We can now come
together to represent our
views at the World Health
Organisation.

Is forming a PHM circle
the only thing we can do?

No. There are hundreds of
ways to protect our own
health.

We just have to find the
way that is most
appropriate for us.

All we are saying is that
we must understand two
important things about
health if we are to remain
healthy.

One. That politics and
business affect our bodies
and our health.

Two. That we can counter
the ill effects of business
and politics by staying
together.

Thank you.