With Manifesta, it’s not just a vision of a different health system: Sending People

Hundreds of people from all over Belgium joined the nurses, receptionists, doctors and other staff of the 11 health centers of Medics for the People (MPLP) in the health square (Square health) at Manifesta – a celebration of unity held from September 17-18. Volunteers, patients and health workers braved the threat of inclement weather and gathered to reflect on what lies ahead in the coming months.

Together with organizations such as Viva Salud, which work to protect the right to health abroad, the Medics for People Manifesto is one of the many associations that are considered a place to strengthen and strengthen the relationship with the groups that work every day. Find new partners to achieve their vision. MPLP coordinated discussions at the newly built festival Vision The organization launched in May this year.

Starting with the exchange of work conditions of general practitioners and access to primary health care, medics for people Hanne Bosselaer Inadequate planning coordination in the field of health workforce, increasing workload mainly administrative tasks and continuing medical training is leading to a bad situation for everyone involved.

Medical student Yazdan Nazimi and GP Laurens De Boeck add to their reflections on what is seen on the ground every day. Nazimi warned of fixed quotas and strict entry requirements that would hinder those wanting to start their training, and limit new doctors entering the health system despite a shortage. The impact of this is particularly felt by potential doctors from the working class, where the class background of doctors leaves them unaware of many of the daily struggles that affect their health.

General practitioners are seen as gatekeepers or medical ‘switchboard operators’, only referring patients to specialists. In order to return to the role of companion in guiding patients through the various stages of life, it is important to solve problems beyond training. Due to the general shortage of GPs, young GPs often lack mentorship and guidance when starting out, and are often left on their own. For example, they are expected to undertake independent medical care in remote areas, even if they lack the confidence to do so, which in many cases leads to discouragement, warned Lauren de Bock.

And then there’s the ever-present administrative burden that looms over many primary care workers, taking up precious time they could be using to get to know their patients better.

Health of workers left by employer policies

The importance of a compassionate and well-trained health worker cannot be overstated at a time when the commercialization of health is making it difficult for people to access care and leaving some widespread health problems undiagnosed. This situation is caused by diseases suffered by workers, pre-carization, bad working conditions and pressure from employers, their health is deteriorating. When this happens, there is no system support, which means that many employees are left alone, out of work and the opportunity to find new ones.

At a panel discussion led by Elise DeRoit of the Christian Mutual Health Insurance Fund, Manifesta participants discussed what needs to be done to protect workers’ health and shift responsibility for work-related illnesses to employers. . Catherine Matti, a representative of the Belgian General Federation of Labor and a former employee of the cleaning service company Laurent, and Dr. Elisa Muñoz Gómez (MPLP) spoke about the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among workers, such as tendons or pinched nerves. Back and joints.

The panelists explained that one of the causes of this type of disease is that most workers do not take sick leave until they can no longer bear the pain. This is due to the widespread fear of losing their jobs. This approach is widespread not only in Belgium but also in the Netherlands, according to examples collected from the Federation of Dutch Trade Unions (FNV) trade union expert Kitty Jong and the Public Health Movement Europe in Eastern European countries.

Unresolved health problems accumulate over time, causing an explosion of long-term medical leave, serious accidents at work, and mental health problems. Half a million workers in Belgium, many of them over 55, are currently on long-term medical leave. According to Elisa Muñoz Gómez, this current system should be taken as a sign that people cannot work beyond this age, although many European countries are increasing the mandatory retirement age beyond 65.

What happened between those ten years – unless governments put in place mechanisms and policies to protect workers – was a shift to poverty and illness, exacerbated by a lack of access to medicine.

Construction of public health and pharmacy infrastructure

The behavior of drug manufacturers during the Covid-19 pandemic was another example of Big Pharma’s indifference to anything but its own profits. It is clear that this is not the end of the epidemic and treatments for many diseases are still being researched because they are considered ineffective by manufacturers. In this context, Medicines for People includes the initiative to build a European network for public research and development. Tim Joye (MPPP) proposed the Salk Institute Network during a discussion on alternatives to public pharma, and researcher and advocate Else Torrelle and Ward Rommel joined the Stand Up Against Cancer initiative.

Above all, taking research, production, and distribution into the hands of the public means that more people, whose families cannot afford existing treatments because of the exorbitant prices set by manufacturers, will finally have access to the drugs they need. Big Pharma’s freeze on working-class families struggling to pay millions for a single treatment will leave an indelible mark on victims, says Ellen de Meyer. Speakers on the panel.

De Meyer is the mother of a daughter whose treatment for muscle pain has cost her nearly €2 million. At the request of the drug manufacturer, the family could never afford it. They managed only through united campaigns. The thought of many people facing the same situation led de Meyer to become an advocate for another pharmacy system.

The creation of the Salk Institute is part of a shared vision of activists like de Meyer, health professionals and patients, alongside the fight for a better workplace in the health sector and elsewhere. Discussions prepared by medics for public discussion indicated that the journey has begun.

The People’s Health Dispatch is a bi-weekly publication. Human health movement and sending people. For more articles and to subscribe to the People’s Health newsletter, click here over here.