health
Left-wing responses to the economic crisis after CoronaWhile politicians argue about whether it is "socially legitimate" and "economically acceptable" to tax the wealth of the rich, a recently published study reveals a growing social and economic gap between workers and capital owners. What have been the fiscal and economic policy responses of the Italian government to this growing inequality and what left-wing solutions are being put forward?
When considering Italy's current economic and financial crisis, one must take into account two premises. Firstly, since ...
read more "From one crisis to the next?"
read more "From one crisis to the next?"
After the three-month lockdown from March to May 2020, Italian national and regional government has done little to prepare adequately for the second wave. This has led to a deepening of the health and social crisis: According to experts, the virus is almost impossible to control, the intensive care units in hospitals are overloaded and healthcare workers are reaching their limits.
"With this level of new infections, the number of tests carried out no longer makes sense. It made sense to do 400,000 tests a day to break the chain of infection. But now the virus has got...
read more "An announced catastrophe"
read more "An announced catastrophe"
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the EU’s healthcare and public sectors to be ill-equipped to respond to the outbreak in accordance with international best practice. A decade of austerity imposed by the European Union institutions and EU Member State governments has caused significant deterioration in healthcare services across the EU. The Stability and Growth Pact has been the central tool used to enforce austerity across the EU since the 2008 financial crisis. Member States’ spending on healthcare provision has been targeted for reduction ...
read more "The EU’s role in attacking healthcare"
read more "The EU’s role in attacking healthcare"
Interviews with Carmen San José, Martin Schirdewan and Harald WeinbergFor years, the neoliberal policies followed by the European Union and EU Member States have imposed privatisations and cost-cutting measures on health care systems, causing a significant deterioration in the essential services such systems provide. In southern Europe in particular, the deterioration has been especially pronounced in recent years, with massive cuts in spending on social policies imposed on large segment of society by the ruling classes.
The coronavirus crisis is not only exacerbating ...
read more "Austerity and Health"
read more "Austerity and Health"
EU Relentlessly targeted members’ health spending over past decadeAbstract
A decade of austerity imposed by the European Union institutions and EU Member State governments has caused significant deterioration in healthcare services across the EU. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the EU’s healthcare and public sectors to be ill-equipped to respond to the outbreak in accordance with international best practice. The Stability and Growth Pact and the associated European Semester process have been the central tools used to enforce austerity across the EU since the 2008 ...
read more "Austerity kills"
read more "Austerity kills"
Brazilian democracy is on mechanical ventilation. While Covid-19 spreads through the country’s most impoverished areas, shamelessly exposing the bleak reality of its social inequality, president Jair Bolsonaro (who is currently not affiliated with any official political party) has decided to checkmate Brazil’s Judicial and Legislative branches. After joining a political rally in Brasília on Sunday (May 3rd) calling to shut down the Brazilian Congress and Supreme Court, Bolsonaro threatened to put an end to democratic talks. Live streaming on Facebook, the president...
read more "Brazil in intensive care"
read more "Brazil in intensive care"
For the coming weeks, RLS Brussels Office will publish clips from colleagues, comrades, and friends from Europe and beyond giving personal impressions of the crisis, the measures, living and coping. Malte Herbers from MediNetz Hanover describes the difficult situation faced by many people in Germany right now.
For the coming weeks, RLS Brussels Office will publish clips from colleagues, comrades, and friends from Europe and beyond giving personal impressions of the crisis, the measures, living and coping. Marga Ferré, President of FEC and Member of the United Left Board, reports from Madrid, the hotspot for coronavirus in Spain.
Medics for the people (Médecine pour le people, MPLP) BelgiumSofie Merckx, 45, is a general practitioner and works at the Medics for the people (Médecine pour le people, MPLP) health center in Charleroi, Belgium. From 2012 to 2019 she has been member of the city council of Charleroi for the Workers' Party of Belgium (PTB-PVDA). In 2019 she has been elected member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives.
Medics for the people is a network of 11 first line health centers in Belgium. At the moment, 65 doctors and a total of 250 (doctors, nurses, other paramedical...
read more "Interview with Sofie Merckx"
read more "Interview with Sofie Merckx"
An emancipatory approach in the era of neoliberal globalizationThe objective of this collective work is to contribute to the debate on the role of health (and health struggles) in a general policy of emancipation with view to social change. Indeed, the brutal functioning of contemporary capitalism is a threat to the right to health in all its dimensions.
The brochure deals with global governance in health, the social determination of health, the privatization of health care systems and elements of reflection on the organization of struggles for health.
We hope that...
read more "The Struggle for Health"
read more "The Struggle for Health"