The WFTU-FNIC International Conference on Health Industry continues today, October 27th with the interventions of the delegates from more than 22 countries. (photos)
MOTION
FOR HEALTH CARE INDUSTRIES DEDICATED TO THE GOOD SAKE OF MANKIND
On October 26 to 27, 2017, FNIC and WFTU organized an international conference on the theme “for health care industries dedicated to the good sake of mankind”. 160 delegates, including 23 foreign delegations, attended it.
The debates and the expert reports have highlighted that the health care industries, in France, in Europe, and worldwide are among the most wealthy and profitable ones. The figures are clear: in 2016, not less than 1400 billion euro turnover, with 1105 for the pharmaceutical industry itself, with 35 % average margin rates.
These industries are continuously growing, with a 6 % increase expected for 2022, i. e. twice the expected global increase : they do not suffer from the global or local financial crises. The global pharmaceutical industry turnover reached 1105 billion euros in 2016 compared to 390 in 2001.
We also can observe that, today, 73 % of the health care industry production is consumed by only 23 % of the word population, in the richest countries of course, which also are the main producers. These figures confirm those of the various international institutions which state that two billion human beings cannot get to health care items, that two other billions can get to these items only partly, that for the others it mainly depends on the social security systems of their countries and on their ability to pay for care.
Health care expenses globally increase but we must note that this is mainly due to the prohibitive prices charged by the industries and not to an extended access to care in response to the needs of populations, particularly in the developing or emerging countries : in this case too, the figures are obvious, the progression of heath care expenses in the rich countries are eight times more important than in the other ones.
The unions attending the conference cannot but point out the politics and strategies practiced by the “majors” in the health care industry with the support of the governments. Whereas thousands lives are preserved or maintained thanks to the therapeutic advances, millions of people die every year due to lack of access to care or to lack of means to pay for it.
It is no longer admissible, in our 21st century, that the strategies set up by the companies, supported by the governments and by some international institutions lead up to thousands victims, just because of the prominent search for always more profit, which sacrifices part of mankind on the capitalist system altar.
FNIC CGT, WFTU and all the attending unions require everything be done to make the access to care and the right for health a reality for any inhabitant of the planet. They appeal to the powers in place in France, in Europe and worldwide, to the international institutions, so that actions be taken to root the health care industries out of the clutches of capitalism, to get them out of the only financial strategies. The health care industries should be monitored by legislation and under the supervision of a single public health service.
Just like water, energy, housing, food, health care products are a mankind common property and should not remain in the hands of the capital and its only objective of making profit to enrich even more a minority of the world’s population.
Montreuil (France) 27/10/2017
