Thursday 30 July 2009

Prävention und Profit in Zeiten der Grippe

Medico-International Schreiben, Juli 2009

Vielleicht seit dem Beginn der AIDS Epidemie in den 80er Jahren ist nicht mehr so intensiv über das rechte Maß und die richtigen Maßnahmen zur Bewältigung einer Gesundheitsgefahr gestritten worden.
Spielen die Behörden in den betroffenen Ländern die reale Gefährdungslage herunter, um ihre Touristik Industrie nicht zu gefährden, und von der realen Vernachlässigung der öffentlichen Gesundheitsdienste im Bundesstaat Chiapas abzulenken, wie uns unsere Partner aus Mexiko berichten?
Oder inszeniert die WHO und die Weltgemeinschaft eine überdramatisierte Katastrophe, um ihre eigene Wichtigkeit zu bestärken und gemeinsame Handlungsfähigkeit zu demonstrieren, während zugleich die Kluft zwischen der gesundheitlichen Realität in der Welt angesichts der Krisenökonomie weiter zunehmen wird?

Ohne Zweifel bestärkt aktuell die „Chronik einer angekündigten Seuche“ angesichts der offensichtlichen geringen Gefährlichkeit des neuen Influenza-Virus bei vielen den Trend zum Misstrauen gegenüber den großen Katastrophenszenarien, medienwirksam von der WHO Chefin Margareth Chan mit dem Pandemie-Stufenplan im Frühjahr vorgeführt.
Und wenn auch manche Gesundheitsplaner die Influenza H1N1 als gelungenen „Probelauf“ für die bereitliegenden Katastrophenpläne einschätzen, und die Unberechenbarkeit von Virusmutationen kein Argument gegen eine solche Vorbereitung sein kann, so bleibt es doch besonders wichtig, ein gesundes Misstrauen zu behalten gegenüber den Profiteuren solcher Szenarien, und immer wieder die Frage zu stellen : qui bono? Wem nützt es?

Zeigt sich doch bei allen Debatten um die globale Bewältigung der Gesundheitsbedrohungen, dass das Hemd immer noch näher als der Rock ist – und globale Solidarität ein schönes Wort bleibt, solange es nicht die etablierte Ordnung gefährdet.
Nirgendwo wird dies sichtbarer als an den „harten Fakten“ der Produktion und Verteilung von Medikamenten und Impfstoffen. Müsste sich nicht hier die „globale Verantwortung“ für die vermeintlich globale Herausforderung in einer eben solchen kollektiven Bereitstellung der Instrumente zu ihrer Bewältigung beweisen?
Während die Entwicklung eines Impfstoffes gegen den neuen Virus fieberhaft vorangeht, hinken die politischen Voraussetzungen dafür nach wie vor hinterher. Die in Entwicklungs- und Schwellenländern verfügbare Impfstoffproduktion ist zumeist begrenzt auf die bekannten Standard Impfungen und von ihrem Produktionsumfang nur langsam auszuweiten – die moderneren Verfahren, die in den letzten Jahren in den Industrieländern entwickelt wurden, setzen statt Eiern rascher vermehrbare Zelllinien ein, diese Technologie ist aber vielfach durch Patente abgesichert und nicht einfach kopierbar. Zusammen mit einem zu erwartenden „profitablen“ Preis für die neuen Impfungen werden die Menschen in den wirtschaftlich abgehängten Regionen der Welt daher kaum die Chance auf einen gerechten Anteil an dieser Produktion haben – außer durch caritative Gesten, wie die gerade mal 150 Mio. Impfdosen, die die Produzenten der WHO versprochen haben, bei geschätzten 900 Mio. Dosen Jahresproduktion wären das gerade mal 16% für mindestens zwei Drittel der Weltbevölkerung.

Dabei wäre dies möglicherweise die Gelegenheit, einmal Ernst zu machen mit der beschworenen „globalen Solidarität“.
Interessanterweise haben gerade erst die Staaten des ConoSur, Argentinien, Brasilien, Chile, Paraguay und Uruguay, den Vorstoß gemacht, die neue Vaccine gegen die pandemische Influenza zu einem „Global Public Good“ zu machen und konsequent auf Patentierungen zu verzichten – das wäre in der Tat eine revolutionäre Neuheit, und könnte im Zusammenspiel mit einem umfangreichen Technologie Transfer in die Länder des Südens die Verfügbarkeit der potentiell lebensrettenden Impfungen systematisch ausbauen.

Wenn es zu einer solchen Initialzündung käme – dann wäre ein wichtiger Baustein in der Strategie für eine „Gesundheit für Alle“, wie sie die WHO erst in ihrem letzten Jahresbericht 2008 wieder betont hat, gelegt. Und an solchen Zielen muß sie sich wie auch die anderen Akteure der Globalen Gesundheitspolitik weiterhin messen lassen.

Dr. Andreas Wulf
Medizinischer Projektkoordinator

Thursday 16 July 2009

A selective invitation from the state of Israel:

To Work – People of all Nations and Religions
To Live – Jews Only


Physicians for Human-Rights Israel (PHR-I) strongly condemns the policy of collective expulsion of migrants and asylum seekers, which fails to examine the specific claims and circumstances of each migrant. Since Israel’s immigration policy is firmly rooted in the right of return (for Jewish people), the policy is fated to cause grave injustice, trouble and distress to all who arrive in Israel and are not Jewish.


We therefore demand the Interior Ministry invite all who are being pursued and face arbitrary arrest to a fair hearing in which their claims and circumstances will be examined individually. Moreover, we demand that everyone be afforded adequate time to prepare and make arrangements prior to deportation. All this must be done before an individual is arrested and place behind bars.


A distorted Policy of Immigration: As long as Israel’s immigrant policy is grounded in the law of return for Jews, injustices against non- Jewish migrants will continue. In contrast to the path customary in advanced democratic societies- where a variety of different options for naturalization exist, which take into account various indicators such as number of years of residence, level of integration, language proficiency, education, etc.- The State of Israel continues to recognize religion as the sole criteria for obtaining status, ignoring beyond a shadow of a doubt the reality which has for years existed here on the ground.


Exploitation and Imperviousness: As long as the State seeks and relies on cheap labor, Israel will continue to issue invitations to migrant workers to work in the country. This will come at the migrants’ expense, as the State will provide nothing short of abuse, imperviousness and degradation. With rises in unemployment Israel has making demagogic use of the presence of migrants, accusing them of being responsible for all economic ills facing the State, as if they themselves were liable for the failed progress of all treasury ministers who have come before. Israel’s hypocrisy continues, for just as migrants are being deported from Israel as sacrificial lambs, the State is allowing thousands of new migrants in. It appears that people still need to cut corners with cheap labor.


In Hot Pursuit of Refugees: By law, refugees and asylum seekers are entitled to live legally in Israel, according to permits provided by the Interior Ministry itself. On one hand, the State affirms that it will refrain from deporting refugees and asylum seekers to countries where their lives may be in danger (such as Sudan, Eritrea and Congo), yet on the other, the authorities are doing all they can to make the life of asylum seekers as difficult as possible. The vast majority are left with no social rights what so ever (no work permits or health insurance, no financial support to help send their children to school, no welfare services of any kind). The geographical restriction of "Hadera-Gedera" is but one example of the abusive policy towards refugees, as it distances them from the only aid and welfare institutions which have been made available to them, all of which are located in the center of Israel.


Expulsion of Israelis: Israel’s malicious policy of collective expulsion is exceptionally harsh as it stands to target families with children, many of whom are just as Israeli as you and I: They speak Hebrew fluently; They are proficient in Israeli culture; They study in Israeli schools and are friends with our children. The imminent rupture of youth from their country and environment, and their subsequent detention and deportation is a blatant violation of the Principles of the Best Interests of the Child, part of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child.


There is another possibility: In the past, when our penchant for ethnocentrism was at a low, the State of Israel extended residency status to children who had been living in Israel for a minimum of 4 years and 9 months. With this so, why then are children in a similar situation, some of whom are already 6 and 7 years old, not entitled to the same considerations? Are they any less Israeli? Could we ever conceive of our own children sitting in jail as a result of our own actions? Would we continue to be silent if, in some faraway place, an Israeli family sat in prison on account of their child- all because their existence was deemed illegal.


Under the imperviousness that characterizes the relationship between the Interior Ministry and any person who is not a Jew, the State should stop for a moment from its hasty deportation activities and formulate, in all frankness, an immigration policy which references human rights. This- and no less- is what is to be expected from a country in which refuge and immigration play such an integral and prominent historical role.

Sunday 5 July 2009

Wanted and unwanted people - two articles in Haaretz



A new episode of deportations of migrant workers is starting in Israel once again, protests against the mass deportations were taking place in Tel Aviv yesterday. The Haaretz newspaper published two articles about immigration and refugees/migrant workers. 3000 new jewish immigrants are more than welcome in the difficult times while several thousands of "illegal" migrant workers face deportation. The israeli government is planning to launch a new law series against refugees who enter Israel through the desert (mostly from Sudan). They will be recognised as enemy infiltraters and those who help or support them will be criminilased as well with long prison sentences. That would put organisations like PHR-Israel on the list of criminals, because they run an open clinic for refugees and migrant workers in Yaffo.
The new right wing government increased several prices and invented new taxes on basic food itmes, health and other areas widening the gap between rich and poor. For this it will be very convenient to know about so many enemies surrounding and entering the country and just add some more by redefining refugees as enemies as well. Probably the EU will gladly assist in border security and "managment of refugees" and how to use "save third countries". Its one of the most experienced parts of EU policy how to get rid of unwanted people and buy off save countries like Lybia, Tunesia, Algeria and Marokko to treat refugees in a way that they won't dare to dream about entering the EU. Refugee policy of the EU is one of the highlights of human rights in the world.


Israel braces for influx of new immigrants this summer
By Jonathan Lis
After years of decline in immigration, Israel is expected this year to absorb 15 percent more new arrivals than last year, thanks in part to 20 flights arriving this summer carrying 5,000 immigrants from North America, France, Great Britain, South Africa and beyond. Of these, some 3,000 immigrants will arrive on organized flights run jointly by the Jewish Agency and Nefesh B'Nefesh. Around 2,000 are expected from the United States and Canada.
New immigrants in 2007, very welcome.
Around 200 immigrants are expected to arrive from both France and Great Britain respectively, 130 from South Africa, and 100 from countries in Latin America. Some 250 Ethiopians recently recognized as Jews by rabbinical authorities will also immigrate. All of the immigrants participating in the program will come in on special flights, including, for the first time, a flight designated for immigrants from Brazil. The first such flight will land in Israel on Tuesday. For years, Nefesh B'Nefesh and the Jewish Agency had competed for control of promoting immigration from North America, until signing an agreement last year stipulating that Nefesh B'Nefesh would be responsible for locating prospective immigrants and escorting them to Israel, while the Jewish Agency would fund their arrival and absorption. Absorption figures have been in steady decline since 2000. Last year, only 16,500 immigrants arrived in the country, the lowest number since the start of the massive immigration wave from the former Soviet Union in the 1990s. Eli Cohen, head of the Jewish Agency's department for immigration and absorption, cited the worldwide economic crisis as the primary motivator for the spike in immigration. "Israel is perceived as an island of stability compared with other places," he said.

Of illegals and refugees
By Nurit Wurgaft
"Legal" foreign worker: Someone with a valid work permit. Currently number about 100,000 in Israel. Eligible for minimum wage and such social benefits as private health insurance and severance pay, and entitled to have employer provide minimal living conditions. "Illegal" foreign worker: Lacks a work permit and risks deportation from Israel. His employer is liable to be fined. These workers, estimated to number 120,000, are entitled to minimum wage and social benefits, but these do not include health insurance or room and board. Asylum seeker: A person claiming to be persecuted in his homeland, and seeking to obtain refugee status. He may not be deported from Israel but, unlike in the past, he will not receive a work permit. Anyone who employs him may be subject to a fine, with the exception of certain areas of the country. Their number in Israel is estimated at 17,000. Refugee: Someone recognized as such by government decision or in accordance with the Geneva Convention on Refugees. Considered a temporary resident and therefore eligible for an Israeli ID card and the same rights as a citizen, with the exception of the right to vote and to be elected to the Knesset. Since the founding of the state, only several hundred people have been recognized as refugees in Israel.

Protest of Sudanese refugees and supporters in Tel Aviv


Refugee with Temporary Protection: One seeking asylum from countries the UN has defined as dangerous (usually because of wars going on there), and thereby eligible for temporary work and residency permits. In Israel there are 275 people with this status, all from Congo. The Immigration Authority will begin operations on July 1. It has 1,800 employees. Of these, 150 are charged with enforcing labor laws with employers; 200 inspectors will replace immigration police officers and conduct arrests; 70 will be part of the unit that interviews refugees and is responsible for examining their requests and granting residency permits; 550 are employees of the Population Administration, responsible for identifying illegal residents and issuing deportation orders.