Hundreds of patients from 11 medical centers (MPLP) from all over Belgium joined nurses, receptionists, doctors and other workers in the Health Square (Carre Sante) Manifista – Solidarity festival held on 17-18 September. Volunteers, patients and healthcare workers have come together to face the threat of severe weather and consider what the next few months have in store.

Along with organizations like Viva Salud working to protect the right to health abroad, Medics for the People sees the Manifesta as a place to strengthen ties with the groups they work with on a daily basis. One of many groups. Find new allies to help you achieve your vision. Discussions coordinated by MPLP at the festival build on the new vision statement the organization launched in May of this year.

Beginning with an exchange of views on working conditions and accessibility to primary health care for general practitioners (GPs), Hanne Bosselaers explores the intersection of poor planning in the field of health care workers, primarily administrative tasks and the ongoing elite of medical training. Transformation has led to dark scenarios for all involved.

Medical student Yazdan Najimi and general practitioner Lawrence De Bock provided insights based on what they observe on the ground every day. Constant quotas and stringent admission requirements create obstacles for those wanting to begin training, Najimi cautioned against limiting the number of new doctors entering the health system, despite shortages. This effect was particularly felt by potential physicians from working-class backgrounds, reaffirming the fact that physicians’ class backgrounds make them unaware of many of the everyday struggles that affect their health.

General practitioners tend to be seen as gatekeepers or medical “transformers” who only transfer patients to specialists. Addressing issues beyond training is essential to returning patients to the role of companions guiding them through different stages of life. Due to the general shortage of doctors, young general practitioners often find themselves alone, often lacking guidance and guidance when they start their careers. For example, they are expected to undertake medical security duties independently in remote areas, but may not have the confidence to do so. They often lead to discouragement.

And there is an ever-present administrative burden in the practice of most primary care workers, taking up valuable time that could otherwise be used to get to know their patients better.

Worker Health Left Behind by Employer Preferential Policies

At a time when the commercialization of health makes it increasingly difficult for people to access medical care and makes widespread health problems completely invisible, the importance of caring and well-trained health care workers is underscored. There is no such thing as too much. This is the case for diseases experienced by workers whose health deteriorates due to destabilization, poor working conditions and pressure from employers. If this happens, organizational support will not be available. That means many workers will lose their jobs and have no chance of finding new ones.

In a panel moderated by Elise Derroitte of the Mutualités Chrétiennes (Christian Mutual Health Insurance Fund), Manifesta participants called for measures to protect workers’ health and ensure that responsibility for work-related illnesses is shifted to employers. We shared our thoughts on what we can do to help. Catherine Massy, ​​head of the Belgian Labor Confederation and former worker at the cleaning service company Laurenti, and doctor Elisa Muñoz Gómez (MPLP), have been diagnosed with musculoskeletal disorders such as tendonitis and pinched nerves. talked about the prevalence among workers in back and joints.

Panelists noted that one of the underlying cases of such illnesses is that many workers have precarious jobs and are unable to take sick leave until they are physically unable to bear the pain. This is due to the widespread fear of losing their jobs. This trend is widespread not only in Belgium, but also in the Netherlands, as reported by trade unionist Kitty Jong of the Dutch Trade Union Federation (FNV), and in Eastern European countries, illustrated by examples collected by the People’s Health Movement Europe. increase.

Over time, unaddressed health issues accumulate, leading to an explosion of extended medical leave, serious workplace accidents, and mental health issues. In Belgium, his half a million workers, including those over the age of 55, are now on extended medical leave. According to Elisa Munoz Gomez, this indicates that current practice makes it impossible to work beyond this age, even though many European countries have raised the retirement age above her 65. should be considered

Unless governments put in place mechanisms and policies to protect workers, what will happen in the intervening decade is an overwhelming plunge into poverty and disease exacerbated by the lack of access to medicine.

Building public health and pharmaceutical infrastructure

The actions of pharmaceutical companies during the COVID-19 pandemic were another example of big pharma’s indifference to anything but their own interests. This is clearly not the last pandemic, and treatments for many diseases remain poorly researched as they are deemed unprofitable by their producers. In this context, Medics for the People included an initiative to build a European network for public research and development. Tim Joy (MPLP) presented the idea of ​​a network of Salk Institutes in a discussion of alternatives to official medicines, and researchers and advocates Els Torelle and Ward Rommel called “Cancer I joined from the “Stand up against” initiative.

Above all, putting the research, production and distribution of medicines in public hands means that many people whose families cannot afford existing treatments because of the very high prices set by the producers will end up needing them. It means making medicines accessible. It’s something that leaves an indelible mark on those who experience it.Panel speakers.

De Meyer is the mother of a daughter whose muscular disease cost nearly €2 million to treat. The family would not have been able to afford it had it been left to the whim of the pharmaceutical companies. They could only manage thanks to solidarity campaigns. The idea kept De Meyer involved as an advocate for another pharmaceutical system.

The founding of the Salk Institute is part of a joint vision of activists such as De Meyer, healthcare workers and patients, along with the fight for better workplaces in the health sector and elsewhere. A discussion organized by the Medic for the people’s discussion indicated that the journey had already begun.

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