Protecting the Health of the Poor: Social Movements in the South
PUBLICATION: New book in the CROP International Studies in Poverty Research series, published in December 2015 by Zed Books, London. Edited by Abraar Karan and Geeta Sodhi. OPEN ACCESS
Despite the colossal amount of spending on health and healthcare programmes globally, why do massive inequalities in health remain, both within and between countries? Drawing on in-depth empirical research spanning Asia, Latin America and Africa, this path-breaking collection offers an overview of the legal, political and social factors behind the poor performance of countries in the Global South in enforcing the right to health. In doing so, it argues that governments and NGOs should unite to set a comprehensive agenda for a fight against poverty and for protecting the health of the poor.
Bringing together fresh perspectives from critically engaged scholars, Protecting the Health of the Poor makes a compelling case for the need to re-evaluate how we approach healthcare in developing countries at a global, national and local level.
'An immensely important and timely volume. It sheds powerful light on movements of resistance and hope.'
Amiya Kumar Bagchi, emeritus professor, Institute of Development Studies Kolkata
'As the world moves from the MDGs to much more extensive SDGs, Sodhi and Karan are to be congratulated in giving us a timely reminder of the complexities involved. The book provides essential guidance for all development practitioners and reminds us to beware of easy fixes.'
Saman Yazdani Khan, director of the Centre for Health and Population Studies, Pakistan
'Tracing ambiguities and contradictions in the commodification of medicine, the application of human rights to safeguard the health of poor people is illustrated with clarity and conviction. In an era of deepening divisions between the many and the few this is a critical contribution.'
Lucia D'Ambruoso, lecturer in global health, University of Aberdeen
'This book is a comprehensive assessment of the health consequences of poverty: it is courageous in its honesty and appropriately demanding of its reader. We must act.'
Stephen Leeder, emeritus professor, The University of Sydney
This book can be ordered from Zed Books
Presentation of the book by co-editor Abraar Karan:
CHAPTER OVERVIEW |
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Chapter 1: Requesting a compulsory licence for Kaletra, an HIV/AIDS antiretroviral drug, in Colombia |
Chapter 2: Impact of the World Trade Organization's Agreements on Agriculture and on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights on the health of citizens in the developing world: A poverty-production-based critique |
Chapter 3: Managing an A(H1N1) pandemic: Public Health or healthy business? |
Chapter 4: Catastrophic health expenditure, health insurance coverage, and poor people in India: New evidence on healthcare costs leading to impoverishment |
Chapter 5: Crisis of the global innovation model for medicines: A civil society organization's perspective |
Chapter 6: Advancing tobacco use prevention and cessation among socio-economically disadvantaged young persons in India |
Chapter 7: Addressing the vulnerability of urban poor women to negative maternal and newborn health outcomes |
Chapter 8: International poverty law and human rights from below: Latin American affirmation of the right to health of indigenous peoples, migrants, and the displaced |
Chapter 9: Sociopolitics of HIV in Uganda: Proposing a socio-behavioural movement in response to donor politics and the economic crisis |
Chapter 10: Health impact fund: Aligning incentives Thomas Pogge |