Government of India must immediately nationalize all healthcare infrastructure and services; and stop profiteering from illness

Growing number of people are demanding that Modi government and all state governments must immediately nationalize all healthcare infrastructure and services in wake of acute national emergency threatening public health and social justice in the country. Also, we demand that government must strictly enforce the 2018 Allahabad High Court’s Justice Sudhir Agarwal and Justice Ajeet Kumar order that all receiving salaries from the government and their family members should get themselves treated at government health care facilities. Implementation of this order alone will make the government health care robust.

We need more hospitals, not temples or mosques

As India runs a drive for vaccination against Covid the nature reminds us about our diminutiveness by an accompanying surge in Covid cases, the like of which was not seen last year. In 2020, India had reported the highest number of 98,795 cases in 24 hours on 17 September 2020 but now the new unfortunate peak was achieved in April 2021 with over 3.5 lakhs (over 350,000) of new cases in past 24 hours in the country. 

Exposed: Wolf in sheep's clothing - tobacco industry’s greenwashing attempts thwarted

At a time when the entire world is reeling under a severe public health emergency, the tobacco industry is not leaving any stone unturned to protect and expand its markets of products that are proven to cause deadly diseases and greenwash its dirty image (as it has blood on its hands of over 8 million deaths every year attributed to tobacco use). More alarmingly, tobacco is a major risk factor for several health conditions that increase the risk of serious outcomes if one gets infected with corona virus, including death. And let us not forget that even before the Covid-19 pandemic, tobacco-caused diseases were of epidemic proportions and causing completely avoidable human suffering and untimely deaths.

Eliminating illicit tobacco trade is a step towards #EndTobacco and SDGs

[हिंदी] Ending tobacco use globally is not just a compelling public health imperative but is also key for social justice and corporate accountability. Let us not forget that each of the diseases caused by tobacco could have been prevented, and every tobacco-related death averted. Add to this that every health condition that increases the risk of serious outcomes of Covid-19, also has a common major risk factor - tobacco. With over 8 million deaths worldwide caused by tobacco every year, the writing on the wall is clear: if we are to deliver on sustainable development goals, then one of the essential milestones undoubtedly is to #endtobacco.

Experts demand compulsory licensing for generic production of a drug against Covid-19

Should not a medicine that has shown lifesaving effect in certain cases of Covid-19 be made available to all those who need it without delay? Even if Big Pharma has a patent, there are provisions in the global trade treaties that allow governments to issue compulsory licenses to such a lifesaving drug, and keep people over profit. This is why medical experts are demanding governments to use compulsory licensing for generic production of such a drug to help save lives. 

Unless we end inequities, we will fail to achieve Health For All

“Everyone is trying to apply the human rights lens. But unfortunately on key matters of equity, a lot many communities right now are in the rear-view mirror and not being observed through the lens of equity and human rights. This pandemic is uneven around the world and uneven in its impact. It has peeled away the bandages from old wounds of our society and it has also revealed and driven new equities. We are not doing a good job in ensuring that the basic human rights approaches are being upheld- right to access to health, right to personal dignity. In some cases Covid-19 has been used as a means of denying people their rights. Yes, we have seen great examples of community resilience and people and CSOs coming together in solidarity to fight this epidemic. But, if we are to give grades on how we are doing in leaving no one behind right now we get an F” said Dr Michael Ryan, Executive Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Health Emergencies Programme, who also leads the team responsible for international containment and treatment of Covid-19.

[video] Food justice from seed to plate is vital for development: Odisha's farmer