Nurses' Declaration of San Francisco, June 22, 2013

Nurse Leaders from 13 countries in 6 continents who signed the declaration

We, the leaders of international nurses and healthcare unions affirm our intention to work collectively to protect our professions, our patients, our communities, our work, our health, our environment, and our planet.

To achieve these goals we declare the formation of Global Nurses United working together with all healthcare workers and other people committed to economic and social justice.

We are dedicated to international solidarity, support, and assistance around the following principles:

•  We oppose the harmful effects on our nations, our people, and our communities of globalization, neo-liberal policies, austerity, poverty, income inequality and mal distribution of wealth and resources, attacks on public workers, and climate change.
• We will resist the privatization of our public health systems and cuts in health care services.
• We will assist the efforts of nurses in all of our countries to secure safe care for all patients with safe nurse-to-patient staffing ratios and a safe workplace.
• We pledge our commitment for governments to guarantee the highest standards of universal health care as a fundamental, human right for all.

Nurses and health care unions from the following initial countries expressed their support to the declaration: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Ireland, Israel, Philippines, South Africa, South Korea, and the United States

Manggagawang Pangkalusugan maging Mapagbantay! Paglilipat ng Fabella Hospital, Tiyaking para sa Kapakanan ng Mamamayan

Photo credits to Dr. Iggy Agbayani

Sa June 11, 2013 nakatakda ang pre-bid conference para sa pagtatayo ng bagong building ng Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital. Nabigo ang naunang bidding nito noong Marso. Itatayo ang 9-palapag na building sa loob ng DOH compound. P750 milyon ang nakalaan para dito mula sa pambansang badyet ayon mismo sa Department of Health.

Ano ang kaugnayan ng bagong building ng Fabella sa kabuuang planong corporatization at Public Private-Partnership (PPP) ng mga pampublikong ospital? Ano ang kaugnayan nito sa integration ng tri-hospital complex ng Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center, San Lazaro Hospital, at Fabella? Ito ba ay naayon sa implementasyon ng Executive Order 366 o Restructuring and Streamlining of National Bureaucracy?

Kinokorporatisa na ang Western Visayas Medical Center (Iloilo), habang nasa bidding ang PPP ng Philippine Orthopedic Center. Nakaamba ang korporatisasyon ng 26 pampublikong ospital sa buong bansa.

Tama lang na ayusin at imodernisa ng pamahalaan ang pasilidad ng ospital sapagkat responsibildad ito ng pamahalaan. Ngunit ito ay dapat magsilbi para sa kapakanan at kagalingan ng pasyente at mamamayan, hindi para pagkakitaan at pagkamalan ng malaking tubo ng malaking negosyo.

Ano ang implikasyon nito sa serbisyong pangaklusugan at pasyente ng Fabella? Matitiyak ba ang security of tenure ng mga manggagawang pangkalusugan? Nakakapag-alala ang pananahimik ng DOH sa usaping ito.

Huwag tayong magsawalang-kibo, huwag tayong magwalang-bahala. Maging mapanuri at mapagbantay! Ipaglaban ang kalusugan at kapakanan ng pasyente at manggagawang pangkalusugan.

Tutulan at labanan ang pribatisasyon ng serbisyong pangkalusugan!

Ipaglaban ang sapat na badyet para sa mga pampublikong ospital!

Ipaglaban ang abot-kaya at libreng serbisyong pangkalusugan! 

Health Workers to DOH: Stop deceiving the public, stop the privatization of Philippine Orthopedic Center

Press Statement

References:

Mr. Jossel Ebesate, RN

Mobile No: 09189276381

Mr. Robert Mendoza, RM
Mobile No. 0932-4649757

Members of AHW and some urban poor group in front of NKTI main gate yeterday June 4 opposing the privatization of POC. Yesterday was the scheduled last day of bid submission for the private construction and operation of a "modernized" POC.

The Alliance of Health Workers (AHW) told the Department of Health (DOH) to stop deceiving the public in pursuing public-private partnership (PPP) of the Philippine Orthopedic Center (POC).

“The DOH is doing a disservice to the Filipino people by consciously making it appear that PPP will benefit the people. Based on our experience in most public hospitals,  PPP of selected services only jacked up the price of health services at the expense of our poor patients,” said Jossel Ebesate, national president of AHW.

Ebesate reacted to the statement yesterday of DOH Undersecretary Ted Herbosa: "that PPP is not privatization and that PPP and BOT will not alter the service provision to patients."

Ebesate stressed that indeed modernization and improvement of public hospital facilities is long overdue but this should be done by the government and should not be passed on to private investors.

“Provision of public health services is an essential government function and responsibility. Once private investors are allowed into health service provision, whether through PPP, corporatization, or outright sale, the primary purpose is huge profit generation, thus replacing service orientation.

People's safety and lives should not be left to the profiteering whims of the private investors. If the government is indeed sincere in improving people's health, it should allot adequate fund and invest in public health services,” said Ebesate.  

Health workers and anti-privatization advocates under the AHW, the Network Opposed to Privatization, and Koalisyon Laban sa Pagsasapripado ng POC staged a protest action yesterday in front of the National Kidney and Transplant Institute while the bidding for POC modernization was going on. #

Health workers, together with the patients and the people, heighten protests as DOH continues the POC bidding! People Demand Right to Health!

PRESS RELEASE

May 24, 2013

References:
    

Mr, Jossel I. Ebesate, RN, MAN(c ),President, Alliance of Health Workers
Mobile No: 09189276381
Mr. Sean Herbert G. Velchez, RN, President, National Orthopedic Hospital Workers Union

Mobile No: 09206249961

The health workers from different hospitals and the urban poor communities, led by the POC health workers, wearing black arm bands and streamers of No to Sale of POC hanged all over the walls of Orthopedic Center,  held a protest action outside the hospital.  They are joined in also by sympathetic patients of the orthopedic center and their relatives, whose loud and continued chants are “Health, a basic right of the people! (Health) Service, not profit-orientation! (Kalusugan, karapatan ng mamamayan! Serbisyo, wag gawing negosyo!). No to Sale of POC!”.  The speeches which express solidarity to their cause and the program was  interspersed with noise barrage to let the POC management, DOH and the prospective bidders and visitors hear and possibly feel their disgust and strong protest  against the sale of POC.

Mr. Sean Velchez, the president of NOHWU-AHW (National Orthopedic Hospital Worker’s Union-Alliance of Health Workers) said, “Ironically, while the DOH (Department of Health) never admitted that POC is up for sale, Undersecretary T.  Herbosa publicly declared the extension of bidding of Philippine Orthopedic Center (POC) up to May 24, 2013, today. This shows the callousness of DOH to the people’s plight.”

“This clearly shows how unreliable the government public statements are, specifically regarding the truth of PPP (Public Private Partnership) in health.  During  the height of our   information campaign on the government’s  privatization of hospitals, the DOH  repeatedly deny  this, calling us “hard headed” and “a small group that refuses to understand”,  but  whatever they label  us,  health workers,  we, whom they called “hard-headed” people  remained to stand  for the  people’s right to health.  We firmly believe that privatization will deprive the people especially the poor of the much needed health care,” he added.

As showcased by DOH (Department of Health) last October 2012 in a forum for “Excellence for PPPs in Health”, this so called  Modernization of the Philippine Orthopedic Center (MOPC), is a part of the Aquino Health Agenda which claims to provide affordable and accessible health care.

Mr. Jossel Ebesate, AHW President, said “through what they call “modernization”, the giant private corporation/s who win/s the bid will be made to finance the P5.43 B of the P5.69 B total project cost.  Moreover, this new hospital which will be called, “Center for Bone and Joint Diseases, Trauma and Rehabilitation Medicine”, will be headed by a board of trustees composed of 2 government representatives and 3 private representatives. Eventually, no matter how the DOH strongly denies it, POC will turn into a private corporation and thus, can no longer provide free nor affordable health services for the people, especially the majority poor. Also the private company has the right to hire and fire employees.”

Refusing to be deceived and be intimidated by the statements of the government, the health workers will continue the series of protests that will hound  the bidding process of POC and other plans to further privatize the public health care .  “We will insist the people’s right to health and we will continue the campaign against privatization of POC and other (26) public hospitals,” Mr. Velchez added.

Privatization of Public Hospitals: Cause of Agony of the People and Health Workers

Press Release

March 20, 2013

References:

Mr.  Jossel I. Ebesate, President Alliance of Health Workers: Mobile Number: 09189276381

Mr. Sean Velchez, President NOHWU-AHW, Mobile Number: 09067360468

Hundreds of health workers, urban poor communities, community health workers and patients join in the protest march today against the callous moves of the government to privatize public hospitals despite of the people’s opposition.

Philippine Orthopedic Center (POC), only one national tertiary hospital specializing in bone and trauma cases is the pilot hospital to be privatized in the form of public-private partnership and build-operate-transfer. January 25, 2013, the Department of Health has opened for bidding to private investors. March 26 is the deadline for qualified bidders, April will be the evaluation and the awarding for the winner bidder will be by May.

The protesters strongly oppose the sale plan which will deprive majority of the people where 80% - 90% of the patients are receiving free services. The hospital services 450-500 patients in the out-patient department daily. Casting are usually free and prosthesis are much cheaper than most sources. The proposed modern 700 bed tertiary orthopedic hospital will be built and run by private business. Thus, all services in both old and new hospitals will become for profits. The protesters’ questions are, “Why does the Aquino government open public hospitals for private foreign and local investors at the expense of the people’s welfare? Why does it allow the people’s right to health to become a commodity for profit?  Where will the poor patients go?”

Jossel Ebesate,  AHW President also declared, “Pnoy’s sale of the Orthopedic Center does not only show his lack of concern for people’s right to health, it showed his subservience to the interest of big local business and foreign capitalists. If the private investors are bent on operating such kind of hospital, ostensibly to "help", let them build a private hospital, but leave the public Orthopedic Center alone. Then the public will have options for a public or a private hospital and poor patients will not be deprived of public health services. President Aquino instead, should put additional budget on public hospitals!”

Added Sean Velchez, President of Philippine Orthopedic Center Health Workers’ Union – AHW  questioned the government’s heartless plan for the hospital, “ Does the President know that annual  10,000  inpatients and 140,000 patients  at the outpatient department will be deprived of services once private investors are involved in the financing and management of the hospital? What will happen to us, 1,101 health care givers? Clearly, the government treats health care services and health workers as commodities for profit.”

The sale of Orthopedic Center is a prelude to the sale of other government hospitals. Even the controversial land of the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) is up for public-private partnership or privatization. RITM and San Lazaro Hospital, among other public hospitals are rolled up for PPP/privatization.

We, health workers, call on the public to join us in the protest to privatize our public hospitals. Let us fight for our right to health. ###