Protests against painting of historical Vidhan Sabha
[इसको हिन्दी में पढने के लिए यहाँ पर क्लिक कीजिये]
Civil society has lodged a written complaint against the painting of a part of the 85 years old Vidhan Sabha building (state council house) by the Estate Department of the Mayawati-led government in Uttar Pradesh (UP) state in India.
Magsaysay Awardee (2002) Dr Sandeep Pandey was part of the delegation to the UP state Governor TV Rajeshwar. Dr Pandey is also a member of the national presidium to Lok Rajniti Manch (People's Politics Front - PPF). He submitted a memorandum to the state Governor signed by social activist Naveen Tiwari, retired Director-General of Police Ishwar Chandra Dwivedi, retired Inspector-General of Police SR Darapuri (Lok Rajniti Manch candidate from Lucknow parliamentary constituency 2009), retired IAS SN Shukla, and retired Justice Kamleshwar Nath.
The painted portion stands on the left of the main building facing Bapu Bhawan. The portion, say historians, is as old as the main building and it was always painted peach to match the stones of the former.
"We, the citizens of Lucknow, would like to register our protest with the way in which the exterior of Vidhan Sabha building is being shamelessly altered. It is a threat to the historic building as well as it is destroying the asthetic beauty of this building" said the memorandum delivered by Dr Sandeep Pandey to the state Governor TV Rajeshwar.
"The State Government is already indulging in arbitrary acts of construction of various monuments, after demolishing other constructions – old and new – and felling green trees, which have become illegal after the repeal of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Samajik Parivartan Sthal Act, 2007, by the Vidhan Sabha itself. This act of painting the Vidhan Sabha building is part of the larger sinister plan to change the landscape of the city for no valid reason" said the memorandum further.
"We request you to bring this madness to a stop and preserve the cultural heritage of the city as well as save scarce resources of public exchequer which ought to be spent on things more pressing" appealed the citizens' memorandum to the Governor.
In another news published in The Indian Express, historian Yogesh Pravin said "Lucknowites are hurt by the action of the government". The blueprint of the building, he said, was prepared in the early 1920s by well-known architect Swinton Jacob in the Roman-cum-Gothic style. The foundation of the building was laid by Sir Harcourt Butler in 1922 and it was built by the end-1920s. "It is the face of Lucknow and I have never heard of, read about or seen any portion of it being painted white. This is as good as killing the beauty of the structure," Pravin added (source: The Indian Express).
The UP State President of the Indian National Congress, Rita Bahuguna Joshi, who is also contesting the Lok Sabha seat from the prestigious Lucknow parliamentary constituency this year, has waged a campaign to protect the historical Vidhan Sabha building. She also led a delegation to the state Governor of which Dr Sandeep Pandey was a part of.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Protests against painting of historical Vidhan Sabha
Protests against painting of historical Vidhan Sabha
Protests against painting of historical Vidhan Sabha
[इसको हिन्दी में पढने के लिए यहाँ पर क्लिक कीजिये]
Civil society has lodged a written complaint against the painting of a part of the 85 years old Vidhan Sabha building (state council house) by the Estate Department of the Mayawati-led government in Uttar Pradesh (UP) state in India.
Magsaysay Awardee (2002) Dr Sandeep Pandey was part of the delegation to the UP state Governor TV Rajeshwar. Dr Pandey is also a member of the national presidium to Lok Rajniti Manch (People's Politics Front - PPF). He submitted a memorandum to the state Governor signed by social activist Naveen Tiwari, retired Director-General of Police Ishwar Chandra Dwivedi, retired Inspector-General of Police SR Darapuri (Lok Rajniti Manch candidate from Lucknow parliamentary constituency 2009), retired IAS SN Shukla, and retired Justice Kamleshwar Nath.
The painted portion stands on the left of the main building facing Bapu Bhawan. The portion, say historians, is as old as the main building and it was always painted peach to match the stones of the former.
"We, the citizens of Lucknow, would like to register our protest with the way in which the exterior of Vidhan Sabha building is being shamelessly altered. It is a threat to the historic building as well as it is destroying the asthetic beauty of this building" said the memorandum delivered by Dr Sandeep Pandey to the state Governor TV Rajeshwar.
"The State Government is already indulging in arbitrary acts of construction of various monuments, after demolishing other constructions – old and new – and felling green trees, which have become illegal after the repeal of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Samajik Parivartan Sthal Act, 2007, by the Vidhan Sabha itself. This act of painting the Vidhan Sabha building is part of the larger sinister plan to change the landscape of the city for no valid reason" said the memorandum further.
"We request you to bring this madness to a stop and preserve the cultural heritage of the city as well as save scarce resources of public exchequer which ought to be spent on things more pressing" appealed the citizens' memorandum to the Governor.
In another news published in The Indian Express, historian Yogesh Pravin said "Lucknowites are hurt by the action of the government". The blueprint of the building, he said, was prepared in the early 1920s by well-known architect Swinton Jacob in the Roman-cum-Gothic style. The foundation of the building was laid by Sir Harcourt Butler in 1922 and it was built by the end-1920s. "It is the face of Lucknow and I have never heard of, read about or seen any portion of it being painted white. This is as good as killing the beauty of the structure," Pravin added (source: The Indian Express).
The UP State President of the Indian National Congress, Rita Bahuguna Joshi, who is also contesting the Lok Sabha seat from the prestigious Lucknow parliamentary constituency this year, has waged a campaign to protect the historical Vidhan Sabha building. She also led a delegation to the state Governor of which Dr Sandeep Pandey was a part of.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Demand for CBI enquiry into the death of Dalit leader
Demand for CBI enquiry into the death of Dalit leader
Lok Rajniti Manch expresses concern over the mysterious death of Indian Justice Party (IJP) candidate from Jaunpur, Bahadur Lal Sonkar (48 years), whose body was found hanging from a tree.
It is very unfortunate that on the eve of Ambedkar Jayanti such gory incidents has taken place.
Criminalization of politics is reaching at alarming levels. As per media reports, the IJP said that "Bahadur Lal was receiving life threats from BSP candidate Dhananjay Singh and some top police officials. The latter were asking him to withdraw his nomination or be ready to face the music." (The Pioneer, 14 April 2009).
We demand CBI enquiry into the incident and appropriate legal action should be taken without delay against those who are responsible for the death of Bahadur Lal Sonkar.
Bahadur Lal was a dalit leader in Jaunpur. We are concerned that despite of the fact that Bahadur Lal had reportedly informed the authorities about the life-threats and demanded security, he neither got the security nor any action was taken to preempt such killing.
The criminalization of politics is of extreme concern and those with criminal backgrounds should be barred from the politics.
SR Darapuri (Lok Rajniti Manch's candidate from Lucknow parliamentary constituency), Dr Sandeep Pandey (Member, National Presidium, Lok Rajniti Manch), Ram Sagar (Lok Rajniti Manch's candidate from Mishrik parliamentary constituency)
Demand for CBI enquiry into the death of Dalit leader
Demand for CBI enquiry into the death of Dalit leader
Lok Rajniti Manch expresses concern over the mysterious death of Indian Justice Party (IJP) candidate from Jaunpur, Bahadur Lal Sonkar (48 years), whose body was found hanging from a tree.
It is very unfortunate that on the eve of Ambedkar Jayanti such gory incidents has taken place.
Criminalization of politics is reaching at alarming levels. As per media reports, the IJP said that "Bahadur Lal was receiving life threats from BSP candidate Dhananjay Singh and some top police officials. The latter were asking him to withdraw his nomination or be ready to face the music." (The Pioneer, 14 April 2009).
We demand CBI enquiry into the incident and appropriate legal action should be taken without delay against those who are responsible for the death of Bahadur Lal Sonkar.
Bahadur Lal was a dalit leader in Jaunpur. We are concerned that despite of the fact that Bahadur Lal had reportedly informed the authorities about the life-threats and demanded security, he neither got the security nor any action was taken to preempt such killing.
The criminalization of politics is of extreme concern and those with criminal backgrounds should be barred from the politics.
SR Darapuri (Lok Rajniti Manch's candidate from Lucknow parliamentary constituency), Dr Sandeep Pandey (Member, National Presidium, Lok Rajniti Manch), Ram Sagar (Lok Rajniti Manch's candidate from Mishrik parliamentary constituency)
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Resume dialogue between India and Pakistan
Resume dialogue between India and Pakistan
We believe that the resumption of dialogue process between Indian and Pakistani governments is crucial in resolving issues that threaten peace.
To maintain peace between the two nations, it is important to strengthen democracy in Pakistan and support the democratically elected government so that it can effectively control terrorist forces.
It is vital to take proper action against terrorist forces in both nations. Pakistan should take stern action against the terrorism strikes that have occurred in India.
Recently an Indian peace delegation that went to Pakistan had found that there was an agreement for a full and transparent investigation of the Mumbai terror attacks along with speedy conviction of the guilty. This was matched by a strong desire for peace with India particularly as the Pakistani themselves are facing terrorist attacks all over their country.
The delegation stressed that this would be attainable provided that action by the Pakistan government was taken to its "logical conclusion". The Taliban and extremist groups have spread their hold over the SWAT and FATA areas. Pakistanis now are very concerned that they will move further in to the heartland of Pakistan and eventually pose a real danger to India too.
There was an agreement that terrorism is a common danger and that both India and Pakistan need to work together to contain this increasing threat.
We also condemn the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team players in Pakistan.
In these troubled times, it is all the more compelling to maintain peace and harmony in South Asian region by strengthening the movement for nuclear disarmament and visa-free south Asia.
The terrorist forces are attempting to derail us from restoring peace and normalcy between the two nations and we should refrain from becoming influenced by their ill-intentions.
We extend our support to all those forces that are committed to establishing and strengthening democracy, peace and harmony in the South Asian region.
Karamat Ali (PILER), Dr Sandeep Pandey (Magsaysay Awardee 2002), Mohammad Wasi Siddiqui, Arundhati Dhuru (National Alliance of People's Movements - NAPM), Irfan Ahmed (Pakistan India People's Forum for Peace and Democracy - PIPFPD, UP Chapter)
Resume dialogue between India and Pakistan
Resume dialogue between India and Pakistan
We believe that the resumption of dialogue process between Indian and Pakistani governments is crucial in resolving issues that threaten peace.
To maintain peace between the two nations, it is important to strengthen democracy in Pakistan and support the democratically elected government so that it can effectively control terrorist forces.
It is vital to take proper action against terrorist forces in both nations. Pakistan should take stern action against the terrorism strikes that have occurred in India.
Recently an Indian peace delegation that went to Pakistan had found that there was an agreement for a full and transparent investigation of the Mumbai terror attacks along with speedy conviction of the guilty. This was matched by a strong desire for peace with India particularly as the Pakistani themselves are facing terrorist attacks all over their country.
The delegation stressed that this would be attainable provided that action by the Pakistan government was taken to its "logical conclusion". The Taliban and extremist groups have spread their hold over the SWAT and FATA areas. Pakistanis now are very concerned that they will move further in to the heartland of Pakistan and eventually pose a real danger to India too.
There was an agreement that terrorism is a common danger and that both India and Pakistan need to work together to contain this increasing threat.
We also condemn the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team players in Pakistan.
In these troubled times, it is all the more compelling to maintain peace and harmony in South Asian region by strengthening the movement for nuclear disarmament and visa-free south Asia.
The terrorist forces are attempting to derail us from restoring peace and normalcy between the two nations and we should refrain from becoming influenced by their ill-intentions.
We extend our support to all those forces that are committed to establishing and strengthening democracy, peace and harmony in the South Asian region.
Karamat Ali (PILER), Dr Sandeep Pandey (Magsaysay Awardee 2002), Mohammad Wasi Siddiqui, Arundhati Dhuru (National Alliance of People's Movements - NAPM), Irfan Ahmed (Pakistan India People's Forum for Peace and Democracy - PIPFPD, UP Chapter)
Monday, October 27, 2008
Whither The Light Of Democracy
Whither The Light Of Democracy
Shobha Shukla
Deepawali is the festival of lights which is celebrated all over India . It marks the advent of the winter season and signifies peace and prosperity and the victory of truth over evil. This year’s Diwali (it falls on 28th October) is a bleak one indeed.
As I peer hard through the darkness of hatred and violence, I struggle to find a single ray of bright hope. The atrocities committed by the British Raj on the Indian citizens during its rule in India are now being re enacted by another Raj - the megalomaniac, self styled leader of the Marathas. He seems to be holding the common people to ransom with nary a soul daring to lift a finger against him. The seeds of hatred (between different Hindu communities) so systematically sown by him in Mumbai, some time ago, are spreading like tenacious weeds throughout the country. His diktats against non-Maharashtrians (perhaps with a view to forging new political alliances) have resulted in large scale arson, stampedes, insensitive rioting mobs and killing of innocents - all in the name of protecting the interests of Maharashtra state.
The recent backlash against him in Bihar has killed more innocents, holding public life and security to ransom. And as trains are being torched, public property being damaged and commoners being attacked in the name of avenging misdeeds of the Maharashtra Nav Nirman Sena, Raj Thackarey is being accorded a hero’s welcome by his goons in Mumbai.
Fiery statements by politicians for and against the Mumbaikars are helping in opening a Pandora’s box, with ‘an eye for an eye’ and ‘two slaps for one slap’. It is no longer just Hindus versus Muslims or Christians. New battle lines have been drawn now with one Indian state pitched against another; one caste targeting another caste; all in the name of achieving new political objectives. But does anyone care for the moral objectives?
All of us seem to have become impotent in not being able to control the actions of one madman. Neither the judiciary, nor the government, nor the executive has done anything ( sans issuing the bail able warrant of arrest against him) to douse the fire of hatred and violence that started from Mumbai and is now spreading to other states. The chief minister of U.P.recently feared for the safety of Maharashtrians in other states, thereby hinting subtly at more retaliations rather than reconciliations. Our prime minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh seems to be more affected by the current financial crisis (the economist that he is) rather than the human crisis ( the non humanist that he seems) engulfing the nation. Violence is begetting violence and no political party, worth its salt, is opposing it. They are busy planning strategies for the winning the forthcoming elections. Why should they care for the common person on the street who has lost his/her property, job or even life in the senseless mania that seemed to have gripped the powers that be?
Let us pray to God to give us some sanity on this festival of lights so that we can dispel the darkness of ignorance and wayward behaviour of a miniscule few who are holding humanity to ransom.
Shobha Shukla
The author teaches Physics at India's Loreto Convent and has been writing extensively in English and Hindi media. She serves as Editor of Citizen News Service (CNS).
Published in
The Statesman, India
The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea
Asian Tribune, Bangkok, Thailand
Ghana News, Accra, Ghana
News Track India, Delhi
Assam Times, Guwahati, Assam
Two Circles
Guatemala Times, Guatemala
Citizen News Service (CNS)
Media for Freedom, Kathmandu, Nepal
Bihar Times, Patna, Bihar
Bihar and Jharkhand News Service (BJNS)
News Blaze, USA
Northern News Lines, Chandigarh
Sahil Online News, Bhatkal, Karnataka
Standard Times, Sierra Leone
My News, Delhi
Khabar Express, Bikaner, Rajasthan
Pakistan Post, Islamabad, Pakistan
Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh
OpEd News (OEN), UK
Hindu News
The Bangladesh Today, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Howrah News Service (HNS), Kolkata, West Bengal
Whither The Light Of Democracy
Whither The Light Of Democracy
Shobha Shukla
Deepawali is the festival of lights which is celebrated all over India . It marks the advent of the winter season and signifies peace and prosperity and the victory of truth over evil. This year’s Diwali (it falls on 28th October) is a bleak one indeed.
As I peer hard through the darkness of hatred and violence, I struggle to find a single ray of bright hope. The atrocities committed by the British Raj on the Indian citizens during its rule in India are now being re enacted by another Raj - the megalomaniac, self styled leader of the Marathas. He seems to be holding the common people to ransom with nary a soul daring to lift a finger against him. The seeds of hatred (between different Hindu communities) so systematically sown by him in Mumbai, some time ago, are spreading like tenacious weeds throughout the country. His diktats against non-Maharashtrians (perhaps with a view to forging new political alliances) have resulted in large scale arson, stampedes, insensitive rioting mobs and killing of innocents - all in the name of protecting the interests of Maharashtra state.
The recent backlash against him in Bihar has killed more innocents, holding public life and security to ransom. And as trains are being torched, public property being damaged and commoners being attacked in the name of avenging misdeeds of the Maharashtra Nav Nirman Sena, Raj Thackarey is being accorded a hero’s welcome by his goons in Mumbai.
Fiery statements by politicians for and against the Mumbaikars are helping in opening a Pandora’s box, with ‘an eye for an eye’ and ‘two slaps for one slap’. It is no longer just Hindus versus Muslims or Christians. New battle lines have been drawn now with one Indian state pitched against another; one caste targeting another caste; all in the name of achieving new political objectives. But does anyone care for the moral objectives?
All of us seem to have become impotent in not being able to control the actions of one madman. Neither the judiciary, nor the government, nor the executive has done anything ( sans issuing the bail able warrant of arrest against him) to douse the fire of hatred and violence that started from Mumbai and is now spreading to other states. The chief minister of U.P.recently feared for the safety of Maharashtrians in other states, thereby hinting subtly at more retaliations rather than reconciliations. Our prime minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh seems to be more affected by the current financial crisis (the economist that he is) rather than the human crisis ( the non humanist that he seems) engulfing the nation. Violence is begetting violence and no political party, worth its salt, is opposing it. They are busy planning strategies for the winning the forthcoming elections. Why should they care for the common person on the street who has lost his/her property, job or even life in the senseless mania that seemed to have gripped the powers that be?
Let us pray to God to give us some sanity on this festival of lights so that we can dispel the darkness of ignorance and wayward behaviour of a miniscule few who are holding humanity to ransom.
Shobha Shukla
The author teaches Physics at India's Loreto Convent and has been writing extensively in English and Hindi media. She serves as Editor of Citizen News Service (CNS).
Published in
The Statesman, India
The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea
Asian Tribune, Bangkok, Thailand
Ghana News, Accra, Ghana
News Track India, Delhi
Assam Times, Guwahati, Assam
Two Circles
Guatemala Times, Guatemala
Citizen News Service (CNS)
Media for Freedom, Kathmandu, Nepal
Bihar Times, Patna, Bihar
Bihar and Jharkhand News Service (BJNS)
News Blaze, USA
Northern News Lines, Chandigarh
Sahil Online News, Bhatkal, Karnataka
Standard Times, Sierra Leone
My News, Delhi
Khabar Express, Bikaner, Rajasthan
Pakistan Post, Islamabad, Pakistan
Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh
OpEd News (OEN), UK
Hindu News
The Bangladesh Today, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Howrah News Service (HNS), Kolkata, West Bengal
Sunday, September 28, 2008
3rd Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide 2008 released
3rd Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide 2008 released
The 3rd edition of the "Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide 2008: Protecting Against Tobacco Industry Interference" was released earlier this week in many countries including India, during International Week of Resistance (IWR) to tobacco transnationals (22-28 September 2008). The Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide 2008 is produced by Corporate Accountability International [which is in official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO)], along with the Network for Accountability of Tobacco Transnationals (NATT).
The need for IWR was never so acute - when on one hand government of India is resolved to enforce the nation-wide ban on smoking from 2 October 2008, the tobacco industry and others including ITC ltd and Indian Hotel Association, have challenged these smoke-free policies in the court of law.
Secondhand smoke, also know as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning end of a cigarette, pipe or cigar and the smoke exhaled from the lungs of smokers. It is involuntarily inhaled by nonsmokers, lingers in the air hours after cigarettes have been extinguished and can cause or exacerbate a wide range of adverse health effects, including cancer, respiratory infections, and asthma. Secondhand smoke has been classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a known cause of cancer in humans (Group A carcinogen).
Despite of such overwhelming evidence, the industry is hell-bent to choose profits over people.
"The repeated delay, at times weakening, and postponing the implementation of public health policies, mustn't occur again" said Dr Sandeep Pandey, national convener of National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) and Magsaysay Awardee (2002).
"For years the tobacco industry has operated with the express intention of subverting public health policies. If the tobacco giants were truly serious about saving lives, they would back off and let governments swiftly, fully implement the public health policies, including the national health policies and also the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) -- the first global corporate accountability and public health treaty" added Dr Pandey.
In July 2007, at the second implementation and enforcement meeting on the FCTC, parties took the courageous step of initiating the development of guidelines on the implementation of Article 5.3 of the FCTC. These guidelines will help governments anticipate and thwart attempts by the vested commercial interests of the tobacco industry to undermine the implementation of the tobacco control policies.
Tobacco kills 5.4 million people around the world each year. Tobacco is a risk factor in six of the eight leading causes of death worldwide. The death toll is projected to rise to eight million a year by 2030, with 80 percent of those deaths occurring in developing countries. If current trends are not reversed, tobacco will claim one billion lives this century.
Published in
Assam Times, Guwahati, Assam, India
Thai Indian news, Bangkok, Thailand
Ghana News, Accra, Ghana
Media for Freedom, Kathmandu, Nepal
Khabar Express, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India
The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea
News Track India, Delhi
Bihar and Jharkhand News Service (BJNS)
The Liberian Journal, Liberia
Northern News Lines
The Zimbabwe Guardian, Harare, Zimbabwe
The Guatemala Times, Guatemala
Yahoo! News
Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh
Banderas News, Mexico
3rd Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide 2008 released
3rd Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide 2008 released
The 3rd edition of the "Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide 2008: Protecting Against Tobacco Industry Interference" was released earlier this week in many countries including India, during International Week of Resistance (IWR) to tobacco transnationals (22-28 September 2008). The Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide 2008 is produced by Corporate Accountability International [which is in official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO)], along with the Network for Accountability of Tobacco Transnationals (NATT).
The need for IWR was never so acute - when on one hand government of India is resolved to enforce the nation-wide ban on smoking from 2 October 2008, the tobacco industry and others including ITC ltd and Indian Hotel Association, have challenged these smoke-free policies in the court of law.
Secondhand smoke, also know as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning end of a cigarette, pipe or cigar and the smoke exhaled from the lungs of smokers. It is involuntarily inhaled by nonsmokers, lingers in the air hours after cigarettes have been extinguished and can cause or exacerbate a wide range of adverse health effects, including cancer, respiratory infections, and asthma. Secondhand smoke has been classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a known cause of cancer in humans (Group A carcinogen).
Despite of such overwhelming evidence, the industry is hell-bent to choose profits over people.
"The repeated delay, at times weakening, and postponing the implementation of public health policies, mustn't occur again" said Dr Sandeep Pandey, national convener of National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) and Magsaysay Awardee (2002).
"For years the tobacco industry has operated with the express intention of subverting public health policies. If the tobacco giants were truly serious about saving lives, they would back off and let governments swiftly, fully implement the public health policies, including the national health policies and also the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) -- the first global corporate accountability and public health treaty" added Dr Pandey.
In July 2007, at the second implementation and enforcement meeting on the FCTC, parties took the courageous step of initiating the development of guidelines on the implementation of Article 5.3 of the FCTC. These guidelines will help governments anticipate and thwart attempts by the vested commercial interests of the tobacco industry to undermine the implementation of the tobacco control policies.
Tobacco kills 5.4 million people around the world each year. Tobacco is a risk factor in six of the eight leading causes of death worldwide. The death toll is projected to rise to eight million a year by 2030, with 80 percent of those deaths occurring in developing countries. If current trends are not reversed, tobacco will claim one billion lives this century.
Published in
Assam Times, Guwahati, Assam, India
Thai Indian news, Bangkok, Thailand
Ghana News, Accra, Ghana
Media for Freedom, Kathmandu, Nepal
Khabar Express, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India
The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea
News Track India, Delhi
Bihar and Jharkhand News Service (BJNS)
The Liberian Journal, Liberia
Northern News Lines
The Zimbabwe Guardian, Harare, Zimbabwe
The Guatemala Times, Guatemala
Yahoo! News
Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh
Banderas News, Mexico
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Oxfam India issues appeal; scales up response to Bihar floods
Oxfam India issues appeal:
Oxfam India issued an appeal on Monday (1 September 2008) for funds to support its rescue and relief work in flood-hit Bihar. The money will be spent on delivering emergency shelter, food, hygiene items, clean drinking water and safe sanitation.
Oxfam and its local partner organisations have been rescuing people and responding to the crisis since August 18, when waters rushed into six eastern districts of Bihar from a 3 Km breach in River Kosi on the Nepal-India border. The worsening floods, with more rains predicted by the meteorological department, have already affected over 30 lakh people in 16 north-eastern districts of Bihar. The Prime Minister has declared the floods a national catastrophe.
Oxfam is using its motorboats to rescue stranded men, women and children from Supaul, the worst affected district. Contingency stocks of tarpaulin shelter sheets, water purification kits, buckets and Oral Rehydration Sachets (ORS), kept in readiness in flood prone districts, have also been moved to provide preliminary support to the affected. Staffers from Oxfam and two local organisations, Bihar Sewa Samiti and Abhigyan Disha, as well as trained volunteers, are working round the clock in Supaul.
“Oxfam is preparing to reach out, to being with atleast 20,000 families in Basantpur and Pratapganj, two of the worst affected blocks of Supaul,” said Nisha Agrawal, CEO, Oxfam India. “We are scaling up our response on temporary shelter, food, water and sanitation. Women and children are particularly facing the brunt in cramped camps or are exposed to heat and the rains under the open sky. Pregnant and lactating mothers are not getting safe water and are forced to defecate in floodwaters. The need for hygiene and sanitation is imminent to prevent the spread of any water-borne epidemic.”
Oxfam rapid assessment team toured the worst affected areas in the first few days and has recommended shelter, food and public health as the key needs. Oxfam is also coordinating from the start with other aid agencies and the government through the state-level Inter-Agency Coordination Group to ensure there is no duplication in response and that relief reaches all the needy people.
The public can donate to Oxfam by calling in on +91 11 46538000 or by sending a check in the name of Oxfam Trust, addressed to Oxfam India, Plot Number 1, 2nd Floor(above Sujan Mohinder Hospital), New Friends Colony, New Delhi – 110065 (www.oxfam.org).
A donation of Rs 2000 would give a shelter kit for a family; Rs 850 would give a hygiene kit for 5 families; and Rs 1000 would give a safe latrine to 2 families.
For further information and to make a donation please contact:
Pamela Srivastava( for donations) : 0091-11-465380000(extension 118)
Aditi Kapoor (for media enquiries): 0091-11-465380000, 9810306200 or aditi@oxfamindia.org; akapoor@oxfam.org.uk
Notes to editors:
Oxfam India is an Indian organisation with an Indian Board and is part of the larger Oxfam International family (www.oxfam.org). Oxfam has been working in India since the 1952 famine in Bihar and also undertakes long-term development work. Oxfam believes in equality and justice for all and works by empowering communities to fight for their rights.
Oxfam India issues appeal; scales up response to Bihar floods
Oxfam India issues appeal:
Oxfam India issued an appeal on Monday (1 September 2008) for funds to support its rescue and relief work in flood-hit Bihar. The money will be spent on delivering emergency shelter, food, hygiene items, clean drinking water and safe sanitation.
Oxfam and its local partner organisations have been rescuing people and responding to the crisis since August 18, when waters rushed into six eastern districts of Bihar from a 3 Km breach in River Kosi on the Nepal-India border. The worsening floods, with more rains predicted by the meteorological department, have already affected over 30 lakh people in 16 north-eastern districts of Bihar. The Prime Minister has declared the floods a national catastrophe.
Oxfam is using its motorboats to rescue stranded men, women and children from Supaul, the worst affected district. Contingency stocks of tarpaulin shelter sheets, water purification kits, buckets and Oral Rehydration Sachets (ORS), kept in readiness in flood prone districts, have also been moved to provide preliminary support to the affected. Staffers from Oxfam and two local organisations, Bihar Sewa Samiti and Abhigyan Disha, as well as trained volunteers, are working round the clock in Supaul.
“Oxfam is preparing to reach out, to being with atleast 20,000 families in Basantpur and Pratapganj, two of the worst affected blocks of Supaul,” said Nisha Agrawal, CEO, Oxfam India. “We are scaling up our response on temporary shelter, food, water and sanitation. Women and children are particularly facing the brunt in cramped camps or are exposed to heat and the rains under the open sky. Pregnant and lactating mothers are not getting safe water and are forced to defecate in floodwaters. The need for hygiene and sanitation is imminent to prevent the spread of any water-borne epidemic.”
Oxfam rapid assessment team toured the worst affected areas in the first few days and has recommended shelter, food and public health as the key needs. Oxfam is also coordinating from the start with other aid agencies and the government through the state-level Inter-Agency Coordination Group to ensure there is no duplication in response and that relief reaches all the needy people.
The public can donate to Oxfam by calling in on +91 11 46538000 or by sending a check in the name of Oxfam Trust, addressed to Oxfam India, Plot Number 1, 2nd Floor(above Sujan Mohinder Hospital), New Friends Colony, New Delhi – 110065 (www.oxfam.org).
A donation of Rs 2000 would give a shelter kit for a family; Rs 850 would give a hygiene kit for 5 families; and Rs 1000 would give a safe latrine to 2 families.
For further information and to make a donation please contact:
Pamela Srivastava( for donations) : 0091-11-465380000(extension 118)
Aditi Kapoor (for media enquiries): 0091-11-465380000, 9810306200 or aditi@oxfamindia.org; akapoor@oxfam.org.uk
Notes to editors:
Oxfam India is an Indian organisation with an Indian Board and is part of the larger Oxfam International family (www.oxfam.org). Oxfam has been working in India since the 1952 famine in Bihar and also undertakes long-term development work. Oxfam believes in equality and justice for all and works by empowering communities to fight for their rights.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Inequities are killing people on a "grand scale", reports WHO's Commission
Inequities are killing people
on a "grand scale"
reports WHO's Commission
World Health Organization (WHO)
28 August 2008
GENEVA -- A child born in a Glasgow, Scotland suburb can expect a life 28 years shorter than another living only 13 kilometres away. A girl in Lesotho is likely to live 42 years less than
another in Japan. In Sweden, the risk of a woman dying during pregnancy and childbirth is 1 in 17 400; in Afghanistan, the odds are 1 in 8. Biology does not explain any of this. Instead, the differences between - and within - countries result from the social environment where people are born, live, grow, work and age.These "social determinants of health" have been the focus of a three-year investigation by an eminent group of policy makers, academics, former heads of state and former ministers of health. Together, they comprise the World Health Organization's Commission on the Social Determinants of Health. Today, the Commission presents its findings to the WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan.
"(The) toxic combination of bad policies, economics, and politics is, in large measure responsible for the fact that a majority of people in the world do not enjoy the good health that is biologically possible," the Commissioners write in Closing the Gap in a Generation: Health Equity through Action on the Social Determinants of Health. "Social injustice is killing people on a grand scale."
"Health inequity really is a matter of life and death," said Dr Chan today while welcoming the Report and congratulating the Commission. "But health systems will not naturally gravitate towards equity. Unprecedented leadership is needed that compels all actors, including those beyond the health sector, to examine their impact on health. Primary health care, which integrates health in all of government's policies, is the best framework for doing so."
Sir Michael Marmot, Commission Chair said: "Central to the Commission's recommendations is creating the conditions for people to be empowered, to have freedom to lead flourishing lives. Nowhere is lack of empowerment more obvious than in the plight of women in many parts of the world. Health suffers as a result. Following our recommendations would dramatically improve the health and life chances of billions of people."
Inequities within countries
Health inequities -- unfair, unjust and avoidable causes of ill health -- have long been measured between countries but the Commission documents "health gradients" within countries as well. For example:
* Life expectancy for Indigenous Australian males is shorter by 17 years than all other Australian males.
* Maternal mortality is 3--4 times higher among the poor compared to the rich in Indonesia. The difference in adult mortality between least and most deprived neighbourhoods in the UK is more than 2.5 times.
* Child mortality in the slums of Nairobi is 2.5 times higher than in other parts of the city. A baby born to a Bolivian mother with no education has 10% chance of dying, while one born to a woman with at least secondary education has a 0.4% chance.
* In the United States, 886 202 deaths would have been averted between 1991 and 2000 if mortality rates between white and African Americans were equalized. (This contrasts to 176 633 lives saved in the US by medical advances in the same period.)
* In Uganda the death rate of children under 5 years in the richest fifth of households is 106 per 1000 live births but in the poorest fifth of households in Uganda it is even worse -- 192 deaths per 1000 live births -- that is nearly a fifth of all babies born alive to the poorest households destined to die before they reach their fifth birthday. Set this against an average death rate for under fives in high income countries of 7 deaths per 1000.
The Commission found evidence that demonstrates in general the poor are worse off than those less deprived, but they also found that the less deprived are in turn worse than those with average incomes, and so on. This slope linking income and health is the social gradient, and is seen everywhere -- not just in developing countries, but all countries, including the richest. The slope may be more or less steep in different countries, but the phenomenon is universal.
Wealth is not necessarily a determinant
Economic growth is raising incomes in many countries but increasing national wealth alone does not necessarily increase national health. Without equitable distribution of benefits, national growth can even exacerbate inequities.
While there has been enormous increase in global wealth, technology and living standards in recent years, the key question is how it is used for fair distribution of services and institution-building especially in low-income countries. In 1980, the richest countries with 10% of the population had a gross national income 60 times that of the poorest countries with 10% of the world's population. After 25 years of globalization, this difference increased to 122, reports the Commission. Worse, in the last 15 years, the poorest quintile in many low-income countries have shown a declining share in national consumption.
Wealth alone does not have to determine the health of a nation's population. Some low-income countries such as Cuba, Costa Rica, China, state of Kerala in India and Sri Lanka have achieved levels of good health despite relatively low national incomes. But, the Commission points out, wealth can be wisely used. Nordic countries, for example, have followed policies that encouraged equality of benefits and services, full employment, gender equity and low levels of social exclusion. This, said the Commission, is an outstanding example of what needs to be done everywhere.
Solutions from beyond the health sector
Much of the work to redress health inequities lies beyond the health sector. According to the Commission's report, "Water-borne diseases are not caused by a lack of antibiotics but by dirty water, and by the political, social, and economic forces that fail to make clean water available to all; heart disease is caused not by a lack of coronary care units but by lives people lead, which are shaped by the environments in which they live; obesity is not caused by moral failure on the part of individuals but by the excess availability of high-fat and high-sugar foods." Consequently, the health sector -- globally and nationally -- needs to focus attention on addressing the root causes of inequities in health.
"We rely too much on medical interventions as a way of increasing life expectancy" explained Sir Michael. "A more effective way of increasing life expectancy and improving health would be for every government policy and programme to be assessed for its impact on health and health equity; to make health and health equity a marker for government performance."
Recommendations
Based on this compelling evidence, the Commission makes three overarching recommendations to tackle the "corrosive effects of inequality of life chances":
* Improve daily living conditions, including the circumstances in which people are born, grow, live, work and age.
* Tackle the inequitable distribution of power, money and resources -- the structural drivers of those conditions -- globally, nationally and locally.
* Measure and understand the problem and assess the impact of action.
Recommendations for daily living
Improving daily living conditions begins at the start of life. The Commission recommends that countries set up an interagency mechanism to ensure effective collaboration and coherent policy between all sectors for early childhood development, and aim to provide early childhood services to all of their young citizens. Investing in early childhood development provides one of the best ways to reduce health inequities. Evidence shows that investment in the education of women pays for itself many times over.
Billions of people live without adequate shelter and clean water. The Commission's report pays particular attention to the increasing numbers of people who live in urban slums, and the impact of urban governance on health. The Commission joins other voices in calling for a renewed effort to ensure water, sanitation and electricity for all, as well as better urban planning to address the epidemic of chronic disease.
Health systems also have an important role to play. While the Commission report shows how the health sector can not reduce health inequities on its own, providing universal coverage and ensuring a focus on equity throughout health systems are important steps.
The report also highlights how over 100 million people are impoverished due to paying for health care -- a key contributor to health inequity. The Commission thus calls for health systems to be based on principles of equity, disease prevention and health promotion with universal coverage, based on primary health care.
Distribution of resources
Enacting the recommendations of the Commission to improve daily living conditions will also require tackling the inequitable distribution of resources. This requires far-reaching and systematic action.
The report foregrounds a range of recommendations aimed at ensuring fair financing, corporate social responsibility, gender equity and better governance. These include using health equity as an indicator of government performance and overall social development, the widespread use of health equity impact assessments, ensuring that rich countries honour their commitment to provide 0.7% of their GNP as aid, strengthening legislation to prohibit discrimination by gender and improving the capacity for all groups in society to participate in policy-making with space for civil society to work unencumbered to promote and protect political and social rights. At the global level, the Commission recommends that health equity should be a core development goal and that a social determinants of health framework should be used to monitor progress.
The Commission also highlights how implementing any of the above recommendations requires measurement of the existing problem of health inequity (where in many countries adequate data does not exist) and then monitoring the impact on health equity of the proposed interventions. To do this will require firstly investing in basic vital registration systems which have seen limited progress in the last thirty years. There is also a great need for training of policy-makers, health workers and workers in other sectors to understand the need for and how to act on the social determinants of health.
While more research is needed, enough is known for policy makers to initiate action. The feasibility of action is indicated in the change that is already occurring. Egypt has shown a remarkable drop in child mortality from 235 to 33 per 1000 in 30 years. Greece and Portugal reduced their child mortality from 50 per 1000 births to levels nearly as low as Japan, Sweden, and Iceland. Cuba achieved more than 99% coverage of its child development services in 2000. But trends showing improved health are not foreordained. In fact, without attention health can decline rapidly.
Is this feasible?
The Commission has already inspired and supported action in many parts of the world. Brazil, Canada, Chile, Iran, Kenya, Mozambique, Sri Lanka, Sweden, and the UK have become 'country partners' on the basis of their commitment to make progress on the social determinants of health equity and are already developing policies across governments to tackle them. These examples show that change is possible through political will. There is a long way to go, but the direction is set, say the Commissioners, the path clear.
WHO will now make the report available to Member States which will determine how the health agency is to respond.
Comments from the Commissioners
Fran Baum, Head of Department and Professor of Public Health at Flinders University, Foundation Director of the South Australian Community Health Research Unit and Co-Chair of the Global Coordinating Council of the People's Health Movement: "It is wonderful to have global endorsement of the Australian Closing the Gap campaign from the CSDH established by the WHO. The CSDH sets Closing the Gap as a goal for the whole world and produces the evidence on how health inequities are a reflection of the way we organize society and distribute power and resources. The good news from the CSDH for Australia is that it provides plenty of ideas on how to set an agenda that will tackle the underlying determinants of health and create a healthier Australia for all of us"
Monique Begin, Professor at the School of Management, University of Ottawa, Canada, twice-appointed Minister of National Health and Welfare and the first woman from Quebec elected to the House of Commons: "Canada likes to brag that for seven years in a row the United Nations voted us "the best country in the world in which to live". Do all Canadians share equally in that great quality of life? No they don't. The truth is that our country is so wealthy that it manages to mask the reality of food banks in our cities, of unacceptable housing (1 in 5), of young Inuit adults very high suicide rates. This report is a wake up call for action towards truly living up to our reputation."
Giovanni Berlinguer, Member of the European Parliament, member of the International Bioethics Committee of UNESCO (2001--2007) and rapporteur of the project Universal Declaration on Bioethics: "A fairer world will be a healthier world. A health service and medical interventions are just one of the factors that influence population health. The growth of inequalities and the phenomena of increased injustice in health is present in low and middle income countries as well as across Europe. It would be a crime not to take every action possible to reduce them."
Mirai Chatterjee, Coordinator of Social Security for India's Self-Employed Women's Association, a trade union of over 900 000 self-employed women and recently appointed to the National Advisory Council and the National Commission for the Unorganised Sector: "The report suggests avenues for action from the local to national and global levels. It has been eagerly awaited by policy-makers, health officials, grassroot activists and their community-based organizations. Much of the research and evidence is of particular relevance to the South-East Asian region, where too many people struggle daily for justice and equity in health. The report will inspire the region to act and develop new policies and programmes."
Yan Guo, Professor of Public Health and Vice-President of the Peking University Health Science Centre, Vice-Chairman of the Chinese Rural Health Association and Vice-Director of the China Academy of Health Policy: "A man should not be concerned with whether he has enough possessions but whether possessions have been equally distributed", this is a time-honored teaching in China. Constructing a harmonious society is our shared aspiration, and equity, including health equity, composes the prerequisite for a harmonious development. Eliminating determinants that are adverse to health under the efforts from all of the society, promoting social justice, and advancing human health are our shared goals. Let's join our hands in this grand course!"
Kiyoshi Kurokawa, Professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, Tokyo, Member of the Science and Technology Policy Committee of the Cabinet Office, formerly President of the Science Council of Japan and the Pacific Science Association: "The WHO Commission addresses one of the major issues of our global world - health inequity. The report's recommendations will be perceived, utilized and implemented as a major policy agenda at national and global levels. The issue will increase in importance as the general public become more engaged via civil society movements and multi-stakeholder involvement."
Alireza Marandi, Professor of Pediatrics at Shaheed Beheshti University, Islamic Republic of Iran, former two-term Minister of Health and Medical Education, former Deputy Minister and Advisor to the Minister and recently elected to be a member of the Iranian Parliament: "According to the Islamic ideology, social justice became a priority, when the Islamic revolution materialized in Iran. Establishing a solid Primary Health Care network in our country, not only improved our health statistics, but it was an excellent vehicle to move towards health equity. Now through the final report of the CSDH and implementing its recommendations we need to move much faster in our own country toward health equity."
Pascoal Mocumbi, High Representative of the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership, former Prime Minister of the Republic of Mozambique, former head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health: "The Commission on Social Determinants of Health report will help African leaders adapt their national development strategies to address the challenges to health. These are derived from the current systemic changes taking place in the global economy that affects heavily on the poorest segments of Africa's population."
Amartya Sen, Lamont University Professor and Professor of Economics and Philosophy at Harvard University, awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1998: "The primary object of development - for any country and for the world as a whole - is the elimination of 'unfreedoms' that reduce and impoverish the lives of people. Central to human deprivation is the failure of the capability to live long and healthy lives. This is much more than a medical problem. It relates to handicaps that have deep social roots. Under Michael Marmot's leadership, this WHO Commission has concentrated on the badly neglected causal linkages that have to be adequately understood and remedied. A fuller understanding is also a call for action."
David Satcher, Director of the Center of Excellence on Health Disparities and the Satcher Health Leadership Institute Initiative, formerly the United States Surgeon General and Assistant Secretary for Health and also Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: "The United States of America spends more on health care than any other country in the world, yet it ranks 41st in terms of life expectancy. New Orleans and its experience with Hurricane Katrina illustrate why we need to target social determinants of health (SDH) --- including housing, education, working and learning conditions, and whether people are exposed to toxins---better than any place I can think of right now. By targeting the SDH, we can rapidly move towards closing the gap that unfairly and avoidably separates the health status of groups of different socio-economic status, social exclusion experience, and educational background."
Anna Tibaijuka, Executive Director of UN-HABITAT and founding Chairperson of the independent Tanzanian National Women's Council: "Health delivery is not possible for people living in squalor, in dehumanizing pathetic conditions prevailing in the ever growing slum settlements of cities and towns in developing countries. Investment in basic services such as water and education will always remain constrained if not wasted unless accompanied by requisite investment in decent housing with basic sanitation."
Denny Vagero", Professor of Medical Sociology, Director of CHESS (Centre for Health Equity Studies) in Sweden, member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and of its Standing Committee on Health: "Countries of the world are presently growing apart in health terms. This is very worrying. In many countries in the world social differences in health are also growing, and this is true in Europe. We have been one-sidedly focused on economic growth, disregarding negative consequences for health and climate. We need to think differently about development."
Gail Wilensky, Senior Fellow at Project HOPE, an international health education foundation. Previously she directed the Medicare and Medicaid programmes in the United States and also chaired two commissions that advise the United States Congress on Medicare: "What this report makes clear is that improving health and health outcomes and reducing avoidable health differences---goals of all countries-- involves far more than just improving the health care system. Basic living conditions, employment, early childhood education, treatment of women and poverty all impact on health outcomes and incorporating their effects on health outcomes needs to become an important part of public policymaking. This is as true for wealthy countries like the United States as it is for many of the emerging countries of the world, where large numbers of people live on less than $2 per day."
For more information or interviews, please contact:
Sharad Agarwal
Communications Officer
WHO, Geneva
Tel.: +41 22 791 1905
Mob.: +41 79 621 5286
Email: agarwals@who.int
Felicity Porritt
Head, Communications
CSDH, UCL Secretariat
London
Mob.: +44 773 941 9219
Email: felicity.porritt@mac.com
Inequities are killing people on a "grand scale", reports WHO's Commission
Inequities are killing people
on a "grand scale"
reports WHO's Commission
World Health Organization (WHO)
28 August 2008
GENEVA -- A child born in a Glasgow, Scotland suburb can expect a life 28 years shorter than another living only 13 kilometres away. A girl in Lesotho is likely to live 42 years less than
another in Japan. In Sweden, the risk of a woman dying during pregnancy and childbirth is 1 in 17 400; in Afghanistan, the odds are 1 in 8. Biology does not explain any of this. Instead, the differences between - and within - countries result from the social environment where people are born, live, grow, work and age.These "social determinants of health" have been the focus of a three-year investigation by an eminent group of policy makers, academics, former heads of state and former ministers of health. Together, they comprise the World Health Organization's Commission on the Social Determinants of Health. Today, the Commission presents its findings to the WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan.
"(The) toxic combination of bad policies, economics, and politics is, in large measure responsible for the fact that a majority of people in the world do not enjoy the good health that is biologically possible," the Commissioners write in Closing the Gap in a Generation: Health Equity through Action on the Social Determinants of Health. "Social injustice is killing people on a grand scale."
"Health inequity really is a matter of life and death," said Dr Chan today while welcoming the Report and congratulating the Commission. "But health systems will not naturally gravitate towards equity. Unprecedented leadership is needed that compels all actors, including those beyond the health sector, to examine their impact on health. Primary health care, which integrates health in all of government's policies, is the best framework for doing so."
Sir Michael Marmot, Commission Chair said: "Central to the Commission's recommendations is creating the conditions for people to be empowered, to have freedom to lead flourishing lives. Nowhere is lack of empowerment more obvious than in the plight of women in many parts of the world. Health suffers as a result. Following our recommendations would dramatically improve the health and life chances of billions of people."
Inequities within countries
Health inequities -- unfair, unjust and avoidable causes of ill health -- have long been measured between countries but the Commission documents "health gradients" within countries as well. For example:
* Life expectancy for Indigenous Australian males is shorter by 17 years than all other Australian males.
* Maternal mortality is 3--4 times higher among the poor compared to the rich in Indonesia. The difference in adult mortality between least and most deprived neighbourhoods in the UK is more than 2.5 times.
* Child mortality in the slums of Nairobi is 2.5 times higher than in other parts of the city. A baby born to a Bolivian mother with no education has 10% chance of dying, while one born to a woman with at least secondary education has a 0.4% chance.
* In the United States, 886 202 deaths would have been averted between 1991 and 2000 if mortality rates between white and African Americans were equalized. (This contrasts to 176 633 lives saved in the US by medical advances in the same period.)
* In Uganda the death rate of children under 5 years in the richest fifth of households is 106 per 1000 live births but in the poorest fifth of households in Uganda it is even worse -- 192 deaths per 1000 live births -- that is nearly a fifth of all babies born alive to the poorest households destined to die before they reach their fifth birthday. Set this against an average death rate for under fives in high income countries of 7 deaths per 1000.
The Commission found evidence that demonstrates in general the poor are worse off than those less deprived, but they also found that the less deprived are in turn worse than those with average incomes, and so on. This slope linking income and health is the social gradient, and is seen everywhere -- not just in developing countries, but all countries, including the richest. The slope may be more or less steep in different countries, but the phenomenon is universal.
Wealth is not necessarily a determinant
Economic growth is raising incomes in many countries but increasing national wealth alone does not necessarily increase national health. Without equitable distribution of benefits, national growth can even exacerbate inequities.
While there has been enormous increase in global wealth, technology and living standards in recent years, the key question is how it is used for fair distribution of services and institution-building especially in low-income countries. In 1980, the richest countries with 10% of the population had a gross national income 60 times that of the poorest countries with 10% of the world's population. After 25 years of globalization, this difference increased to 122, reports the Commission. Worse, in the last 15 years, the poorest quintile in many low-income countries have shown a declining share in national consumption.
Wealth alone does not have to determine the health of a nation's population. Some low-income countries such as Cuba, Costa Rica, China, state of Kerala in India and Sri Lanka have achieved levels of good health despite relatively low national incomes. But, the Commission points out, wealth can be wisely used. Nordic countries, for example, have followed policies that encouraged equality of benefits and services, full employment, gender equity and low levels of social exclusion. This, said the Commission, is an outstanding example of what needs to be done everywhere.
Solutions from beyond the health sector
Much of the work to redress health inequities lies beyond the health sector. According to the Commission's report, "Water-borne diseases are not caused by a lack of antibiotics but by dirty water, and by the political, social, and economic forces that fail to make clean water available to all; heart disease is caused not by a lack of coronary care units but by lives people lead, which are shaped by the environments in which they live; obesity is not caused by moral failure on the part of individuals but by the excess availability of high-fat and high-sugar foods." Consequently, the health sector -- globally and nationally -- needs to focus attention on addressing the root causes of inequities in health.
"We rely too much on medical interventions as a way of increasing life expectancy" explained Sir Michael. "A more effective way of increasing life expectancy and improving health would be for every government policy and programme to be assessed for its impact on health and health equity; to make health and health equity a marker for government performance."
Recommendations
Based on this compelling evidence, the Commission makes three overarching recommendations to tackle the "corrosive effects of inequality of life chances":
* Improve daily living conditions, including the circumstances in which people are born, grow, live, work and age.
* Tackle the inequitable distribution of power, money and resources -- the structural drivers of those conditions -- globally, nationally and locally.
* Measure and understand the problem and assess the impact of action.
Recommendations for daily living
Improving daily living conditions begins at the start of life. The Commission recommends that countries set up an interagency mechanism to ensure effective collaboration and coherent policy between all sectors for early childhood development, and aim to provide early childhood services to all of their young citizens. Investing in early childhood development provides one of the best ways to reduce health inequities. Evidence shows that investment in the education of women pays for itself many times over.
Billions of people live without adequate shelter and clean water. The Commission's report pays particular attention to the increasing numbers of people who live in urban slums, and the impact of urban governance on health. The Commission joins other voices in calling for a renewed effort to ensure water, sanitation and electricity for all, as well as better urban planning to address the epidemic of chronic disease.
Health systems also have an important role to play. While the Commission report shows how the health sector can not reduce health inequities on its own, providing universal coverage and ensuring a focus on equity throughout health systems are important steps.
The report also highlights how over 100 million people are impoverished due to paying for health care -- a key contributor to health inequity. The Commission thus calls for health systems to be based on principles of equity, disease prevention and health promotion with universal coverage, based on primary health care.
Distribution of resources
Enacting the recommendations of the Commission to improve daily living conditions will also require tackling the inequitable distribution of resources. This requires far-reaching and systematic action.
The report foregrounds a range of recommendations aimed at ensuring fair financing, corporate social responsibility, gender equity and better governance. These include using health equity as an indicator of government performance and overall social development, the widespread use of health equity impact assessments, ensuring that rich countries honour their commitment to provide 0.7% of their GNP as aid, strengthening legislation to prohibit discrimination by gender and improving the capacity for all groups in society to participate in policy-making with space for civil society to work unencumbered to promote and protect political and social rights. At the global level, the Commission recommends that health equity should be a core development goal and that a social determinants of health framework should be used to monitor progress.
The Commission also highlights how implementing any of the above recommendations requires measurement of the existing problem of health inequity (where in many countries adequate data does not exist) and then monitoring the impact on health equity of the proposed interventions. To do this will require firstly investing in basic vital registration systems which have seen limited progress in the last thirty years. There is also a great need for training of policy-makers, health workers and workers in other sectors to understand the need for and how to act on the social determinants of health.
While more research is needed, enough is known for policy makers to initiate action. The feasibility of action is indicated in the change that is already occurring. Egypt has shown a remarkable drop in child mortality from 235 to 33 per 1000 in 30 years. Greece and Portugal reduced their child mortality from 50 per 1000 births to levels nearly as low as Japan, Sweden, and Iceland. Cuba achieved more than 99% coverage of its child development services in 2000. But trends showing improved health are not foreordained. In fact, without attention health can decline rapidly.
Is this feasible?
The Commission has already inspired and supported action in many parts of the world. Brazil, Canada, Chile, Iran, Kenya, Mozambique, Sri Lanka, Sweden, and the UK have become 'country partners' on the basis of their commitment to make progress on the social determinants of health equity and are already developing policies across governments to tackle them. These examples show that change is possible through political will. There is a long way to go, but the direction is set, say the Commissioners, the path clear.
WHO will now make the report available to Member States which will determine how the health agency is to respond.
Comments from the Commissioners
Fran Baum, Head of Department and Professor of Public Health at Flinders University, Foundation Director of the South Australian Community Health Research Unit and Co-Chair of the Global Coordinating Council of the People's Health Movement: "It is wonderful to have global endorsement of the Australian Closing the Gap campaign from the CSDH established by the WHO. The CSDH sets Closing the Gap as a goal for the whole world and produces the evidence on how health inequities are a reflection of the way we organize society and distribute power and resources. The good news from the CSDH for Australia is that it provides plenty of ideas on how to set an agenda that will tackle the underlying determinants of health and create a healthier Australia for all of us"
Monique Begin, Professor at the School of Management, University of Ottawa, Canada, twice-appointed Minister of National Health and Welfare and the first woman from Quebec elected to the House of Commons: "Canada likes to brag that for seven years in a row the United Nations voted us "the best country in the world in which to live". Do all Canadians share equally in that great quality of life? No they don't. The truth is that our country is so wealthy that it manages to mask the reality of food banks in our cities, of unacceptable housing (1 in 5), of young Inuit adults very high suicide rates. This report is a wake up call for action towards truly living up to our reputation."
Giovanni Berlinguer, Member of the European Parliament, member of the International Bioethics Committee of UNESCO (2001--2007) and rapporteur of the project Universal Declaration on Bioethics: "A fairer world will be a healthier world. A health service and medical interventions are just one of the factors that influence population health. The growth of inequalities and the phenomena of increased injustice in health is present in low and middle income countries as well as across Europe. It would be a crime not to take every action possible to reduce them."
Mirai Chatterjee, Coordinator of Social Security for India's Self-Employed Women's Association, a trade union of over 900 000 self-employed women and recently appointed to the National Advisory Council and the National Commission for the Unorganised Sector: "The report suggests avenues for action from the local to national and global levels. It has been eagerly awaited by policy-makers, health officials, grassroot activists and their community-based organizations. Much of the research and evidence is of particular relevance to the South-East Asian region, where too many people struggle daily for justice and equity in health. The report will inspire the region to act and develop new policies and programmes."
Yan Guo, Professor of Public Health and Vice-President of the Peking University Health Science Centre, Vice-Chairman of the Chinese Rural Health Association and Vice-Director of the China Academy of Health Policy: "A man should not be concerned with whether he has enough possessions but whether possessions have been equally distributed", this is a time-honored teaching in China. Constructing a harmonious society is our shared aspiration, and equity, including health equity, composes the prerequisite for a harmonious development. Eliminating determinants that are adverse to health under the efforts from all of the society, promoting social justice, and advancing human health are our shared goals. Let's join our hands in this grand course!"
Kiyoshi Kurokawa, Professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, Tokyo, Member of the Science and Technology Policy Committee of the Cabinet Office, formerly President of the Science Council of Japan and the Pacific Science Association: "The WHO Commission addresses one of the major issues of our global world - health inequity. The report's recommendations will be perceived, utilized and implemented as a major policy agenda at national and global levels. The issue will increase in importance as the general public become more engaged via civil society movements and multi-stakeholder involvement."
Alireza Marandi, Professor of Pediatrics at Shaheed Beheshti University, Islamic Republic of Iran, former two-term Minister of Health and Medical Education, former Deputy Minister and Advisor to the Minister and recently elected to be a member of the Iranian Parliament: "According to the Islamic ideology, social justice became a priority, when the Islamic revolution materialized in Iran. Establishing a solid Primary Health Care network in our country, not only improved our health statistics, but it was an excellent vehicle to move towards health equity. Now through the final report of the CSDH and implementing its recommendations we need to move much faster in our own country toward health equity."
Pascoal Mocumbi, High Representative of the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership, former Prime Minister of the Republic of Mozambique, former head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health: "The Commission on Social Determinants of Health report will help African leaders adapt their national development strategies to address the challenges to health. These are derived from the current systemic changes taking place in the global economy that affects heavily on the poorest segments of Africa's population."
Amartya Sen, Lamont University Professor and Professor of Economics and Philosophy at Harvard University, awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1998: "The primary object of development - for any country and for the world as a whole - is the elimination of 'unfreedoms' that reduce and impoverish the lives of people. Central to human deprivation is the failure of the capability to live long and healthy lives. This is much more than a medical problem. It relates to handicaps that have deep social roots. Under Michael Marmot's leadership, this WHO Commission has concentrated on the badly neglected causal linkages that have to be adequately understood and remedied. A fuller understanding is also a call for action."
David Satcher, Director of the Center of Excellence on Health Disparities and the Satcher Health Leadership Institute Initiative, formerly the United States Surgeon General and Assistant Secretary for Health and also Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: "The United States of America spends more on health care than any other country in the world, yet it ranks 41st in terms of life expectancy. New Orleans and its experience with Hurricane Katrina illustrate why we need to target social determinants of health (SDH) --- including housing, education, working and learning conditions, and whether people are exposed to toxins---better than any place I can think of right now. By targeting the SDH, we can rapidly move towards closing the gap that unfairly and avoidably separates the health status of groups of different socio-economic status, social exclusion experience, and educational background."
Anna Tibaijuka, Executive Director of UN-HABITAT and founding Chairperson of the independent Tanzanian National Women's Council: "Health delivery is not possible for people living in squalor, in dehumanizing pathetic conditions prevailing in the ever growing slum settlements of cities and towns in developing countries. Investment in basic services such as water and education will always remain constrained if not wasted unless accompanied by requisite investment in decent housing with basic sanitation."
Denny Vagero", Professor of Medical Sociology, Director of CHESS (Centre for Health Equity Studies) in Sweden, member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and of its Standing Committee on Health: "Countries of the world are presently growing apart in health terms. This is very worrying. In many countries in the world social differences in health are also growing, and this is true in Europe. We have been one-sidedly focused on economic growth, disregarding negative consequences for health and climate. We need to think differently about development."
Gail Wilensky, Senior Fellow at Project HOPE, an international health education foundation. Previously she directed the Medicare and Medicaid programmes in the United States and also chaired two commissions that advise the United States Congress on Medicare: "What this report makes clear is that improving health and health outcomes and reducing avoidable health differences---goals of all countries-- involves far more than just improving the health care system. Basic living conditions, employment, early childhood education, treatment of women and poverty all impact on health outcomes and incorporating their effects on health outcomes needs to become an important part of public policymaking. This is as true for wealthy countries like the United States as it is for many of the emerging countries of the world, where large numbers of people live on less than $2 per day."
For more information or interviews, please contact:
Sharad Agarwal
Communications Officer
WHO, Geneva
Tel.: +41 22 791 1905
Mob.: +41 79 621 5286
Email: agarwals@who.int
Felicity Porritt
Head, Communications
CSDH, UCL Secretariat
London
Mob.: +44 773 941 9219
Email: felicity.porritt@mac.com
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