Revolting Europe
health
London, Amsterdam, Milan: It’s not where the European Medicines Agency is located that is the problem
Vittorio Agnoletto does not regret his native Milan lost out to Amsterdam in the bid to replace London as home of the European Medicines Agency. His concerns lie elsewhere The European Medicines Agency will move to Amsterdam, it has been decided by a draw. This has left a bitter taste in the mouth of Italians … Continue reading
Of the class struggle and the things we eat
By Esther Vivas Do the rich and poor eat the same? Do our incomes determine our diet? Today, who is overweight? Although often, and from certain quarters, the call for healthy and wholesome food is viewed with disdain, as “a fad” “posh”, “hippy” or “flower power” the reality is rather different than these short-sighted comments … Continue reading
Austerity suicides rise in depression Italy
Italy’s dire economic crisis has led to a 60% rise in suicides, underlying the heavy price people are paying for austerity policies designed to benefit the 1%. In 2012, there are 402 suicides linked to economic problems. This includes 184 business people and 168 unemployed, 35 employees and 8 pensioners. This year alone, in the first … Continue reading
You need treatment? Cough up
IN THE RADICAL PRESS / IL MANIFESTO In austerity Italy, the health system is increasingly privatised with four out of ten people now paying out of their own pockets to see a specialist. Today, 3 billion euros worth of health services are provided to those who can afford it, reports Il Manifesto newspaper “I am … Continue reading
Hunger knocks at Spain’s door
By Esther Vivas It’s summer, school is ending, and Spanish families’ increasing concern is no longer ‘what are the kids going to do during the holidays,’ but ‘what will they eat’. In Spain, according to UNICEF, 20% of children now live below the poverty line. Hunger is no longer an issue for the global south, … Continue reading
Thousands rally for publicly run health services in Madrid
More than 60,000 health workers and citizens turned out in the streets of Madrid in the fifth mass protest against the privatisation of the capital’s health services since the start of the year. Unions CCOO and UGT and the radical United Left party formed part of the ‘white tide’ rising against the plans of the … Continue reading
929,903 reasons to oppose health privatisation
Over 900,000 Madrileños have rejected plans to privatise state hospitals. In a popular consultation 99% of those who voted ((or 929,903) said No to proposals by the regional Popular Party government to hand over six hospitals and 27 health centres to privateers. The organizers of the petition, which closed Friday, are members of the ‘White Tide’ of health workers who … Continue reading
Spain: No Country for Old Men
By Nacho Goberna Spain is no country for old men. Maybe it was before, when today’s older generation were young, when shoulder to shoulder, with hope, they participated in building this society that we now share with them, or perhaps it will be again in the future when the time comes to leave behind the … Continue reading
Austerity is bad for workplace health and safety
Every year, around 160,000 people die in the European Union as a result of illness or accidents caused by poor working conditions. However, the prescriptions imposed by the EU for ending the crisis – economic austerity and cuts in rights – mean a widespread deterioration of citizens’ living conditions and encourage policies that undermine essential … Continue reading
Spanish unions call fresh wave of strikes over healthcare privatisation
Spanish unions have launched a prograrmme of rolling strikes in May and early June against the regional government’s plans to privatise health services in Madrid. The unions have called this fresh wave of strikes on May 7, 16, 22, 29 and June 4 Six hospitals are to be privatised by the Popular Party administration in … Continue reading
Austerity undermines welfare and health of the Portuguese – public health expert
The troika’s demands are ‘undermining the well-being of the Portuguese in general as well as their health,’ said a top public health expert. Sakellarides Constantine, head of Observatório Português dos Sistemas de Saúde (OPSS), also slammed European policymakers for abandoning their responsibilities to the people of Europe. Constantine’s remarks were made in comments to the … Continue reading
Austerity homicides
How many people have to be killed by austerity, before it is stopped and condemned as socially and morally reprehensible and its perpetrators brought to justice, asks Giorgio Cremaschi Romeo, Anna and Joseph were killed one after the other in Civitanova Marche. Like workers killed on the job, there is no tragic fatality in the … Continue reading
Austerity is bad for Europe’s health, say doctors
In an open letter ‘to the political leaders and health authorities in Europe,’ representatives of medics and other leading health professionals in the four of the most badly hit EU countries have demanded an urgent review of austerity policies to ‘prevent further deterioration of health and health services.’ The letter, unveiled Tuesday in Lisbon by … Continue reading
From public health to private business
By Vicente Clavero To justify their cuts, the Popular Party (PP) has long been trying to convince us that Spain’s public health system suffers unsustainable hypertrophy. Nothing could be further from the truth: in 2008, at the start of the economic crisis, Spain devoted 6.5% of its GDP to this end. This is well below … Continue reading
Nine million Italians deprived of healthcare as austerity and privatisation bites
‘The right to heath is guaranteed only to those who can afford it’, say pensioners Nine million Italians are being deprived of healthcare because they can’t afford it. That’s the conclusion of a new report report by RBM-Salute Censis that also shows that spending on the public health system has halved since the onset of … Continue reading
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