Activists to hold global day of action for health equality

Health activists will hold global actions against health inequality. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

BOSTON, Massachusetts — Health activists in more than 35 countries on October 25 will launch a global, grassroots advocacy movement for “Article 25” to combat global health inequity.

The Day of Action is being coordinated by the Article 25 Education Fund, a nonprofit advocacy group working with more than 50 partners to build a global movement for the right to health.

On October 25, public health and social justice activists will hold teach-ins, rallies, workshops and candlelight vigils to raise awareness of health disparities across the globe and demand political action to address them.

The day of action takes place alongside a growing recognition of the scale of deaths caused by global health inequity.

A recent study, published in 2013 by a team at the University of California Berkeley, found that more than 20 million people die each year due to global health inequity—nearly one-third of all deaths annually.

The study authors found that this proportion, which they defined as the “Global Inequity Death Toll,” has remained consistent for nearly three decades.

“We now know that more than 400 million people have died of preventable global health inequities over the last 25 years,” said Amee Amin, Article 25’s Co-Founder and campaign director, “that’s more deaths than caused by even the most horrific wars and genocides in history.”

In their discussion, the study authors noted that, “The current global health framework is not substantially reducing inequity, and closing this gap should be a major priority of global health stakeholders.”

To address this, the day of action coincides with the start of negotiations around the post-2015 development goals at the United Nations.

“The day of action will call on leaders to prioritize the right to health,” said Ankur Asthana, co-founder of Article 25 and associate in Global Health & Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School. “At the end of the day, this is an opportunity to start to make the right to health a priority for world leaders once and for all.”