Gender
Action of the Week - Stop Vulture Funds

Newsletter 131

Content

National News and Events

  • Action of the Week
  • Medsin Global Health Conference A Success
  • Medsin Launches a Campaign Against the Arms Trade
  • Recruitment for ukAM07 OC
  • Training New Trainers and Training Old Trainers
  • Medsin Spring General Assembly 2007
  • Be on the Next Medsin National Committee
  • Be a Campaign Coordinator for Medsin
  • Global Health and Human Rights: ESRC Seminar

International News and Events

Website and News

The website is for YOUR events being held by YOUR branches, projects and campaigns. It is really, really easy to submit events and news, so please do, and let everyone know what wonderful things you are up to!

Action of the Week

If you have any ideas for a future action, please email Jen

National News and Events

Action of the Week - Stop Vulture Funds Swooping on Zambia

Gender
Action of the Week - Stop Vulture Funds

Right now, Donegal International, a private 'vulture' fund, is taking advantage of debt relief to extort a huge payment from Zambia, one of the world's poorest countries. In 1999, Donegal bought up a debt owed by Zambia at a knock-down price of about $3.3 million, while Zambia was trying to renegotiate its unpayable debts. Now, Donegal has sued Zambia for the full amount, plus interest and costs - a staggering $55 million! Jubilee Debt Campaign, along with Oxfam, is calling on Michael Sheehan, the man behind Donegal, to do the right thing, and not make Zambia pay up.

Take action here

Medsin Global Health Conference

24th-25th March, 2007 Newcastle Medical School

Reed

300 medical students from around the UK met in Newcastle this weekend to hear speakers on the topic 'Health as a Human Right' and attend workshops on a variety of global health issues.

Each of the four plenaries 'Women and Children', 'Water as a Human Right', 'Conflict, Health and Human Rights' and 'The Future' was a brilliant success with lively, motivating and informative speakers.

The organising committee sourced speakers from organisations such as WomanKind, World Development Movement, Medecins du Monde, African Youth Development Project, African Medical and Rsearch Foundation (AMREF) and CAAT. Other high profile speakers included Dr Richard Horton, editor of The Lancet, Dr Rhona MacDonald of The Lancet, Dr Alan Fenwick from Imperial College London and Hope Chigudu, amongst others.

The weekend was a great chance for networking of Medsin members from across the UK. Members had the opportunity to discuss the variety of projects and campaigns that Medsin works through to acheive the vision of 'health as a universally realised human right'.

Voting members had the chance to participate in a General Assembly of Medsin in which St. George's were re-welcomed as a branch of the Medsin network.

A great time was had by all at the social on Saturday night - St. James' Park was a fantastic venue for a ceilidh. The evening included a birthday party to celebrate Medsin's 10th Anniversary with an address by John Yudkin, a long-time friend of Medsin.

The conference incorporated many chances for activism amongst student attendees. Each plenary was followed with an opportunity for action on issues of global and local health:

  • Plenary 1 - campaigned for improvements on the way the health service deals with Domestic Abuse. Students drew round their hands and sent the sheets with a covering letter to Health Minister, Patricia Hewitt.
  • Plenary 2 - campaigned for access to clean water in the developing world. Students signed toilet rolls and sent them with a covering letter to Hilary Benn.
  • Plenary 3 - students staged a die-in, donning bloody t-shirts and 'dying' in the lecture theatre with a banner calling for an end to the global arms trade. The photo has been sent to the press.
  • Plenary 4 - there was the opportunity to sign Oxfam action cards calling for more aid to support public health and education services in developing countries - specifically for investment in health workers and teachers. Students then gathered for a photo opporunity calling for Health as a Human Right.

More information about all that went on can be found on this page.

Photos of the weekend are available here.

Medsin Launches a Campaign Against the Arms Trade

Reed

This weekend, members of Medsin's National Committee instigated a campaign on issues surrounding the arms trade. The decision was taken as a direct response to calls from Medsin's Patron Dr. Richard Horton, editor of The Lancet, for the organisation to step up pressure on Reed Elsevier to encourage them to disengage in the global trade in arms. The company organises several international arms fairs, including the biannual DSEi arms fair in Londons Docklands. This is inconsistent with its role in publishing medical textbooks and journals, such as The Lancet. Horton made this call to action during a speech at Medsin's annual Global Health Conference in Newcastle.

The national committee are able to initiate two campaigns per year, which are then ratified at the next General Assembly by voting members of Medsin. We felt it was a golden opportunity to formally launch this campaign in response to Dr. Horton's speech.

Medsin have had increasing involvement in campaigning against the arms trade in recent months. Medsin members at the annual Global Health Conference protested against the global arms trade, calling for increased investment in health rather than weapons. A group then proceeded to the BAE Systems site in Newcastle after the conference to protest outside the gates.

Medsin have recently had a letter published in The Lancet calling on Reed Elsevier to disengage from activities involving arms. The letter was written by Medsin's President and Secretary and was ratified by voting members on behalf of the whole organisation. The letter appeared alongside others from the Royal College of Physicians, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Doctors for Iraq, The People's Health Movement, Doctors for Human Rights and Medact. Full text is available here. Medsin was also mentioned in relation to this issue in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Full text available here.

We need as many people to get involved with this campaign asap in order to step up pressure on Reed Elsevier and to continue our campaigning against the arms trade in general.

Please email Jen to get involved.

Recruitment for the Organising Committee of ukAM07

We have just had a fantastic weekend at the Global Health Conference in Newcastle where, between the fantastic plenaries and workshops, we presented the progress of ukAM07 to the Medsin network.

We have a few vacancies on the committee for which there was considerable interest amongst people at the GHC. We would just like to open up this opportunity to all of Medsin to become part of our fantastic team.

Positions we have at the moment are:

  1. Marketing Coordinator
  2. Press Officer
  3. Secretary
  4. Technologies Coordinator

These are all great positions so check out www.medsin.org/ukam2007 for more information on each of these and details of how to apply. Or for more information email the oc

Deadline: FRIDAY 30TH MARCH

Training New Trainers and Training Old Trainers 2007

Training is a core Medsin and IFMSA activity. In practical terms, trainers deliver workshops on topics in leadership and project management, helping to ensure that members run their branches and projects in the very most effective way possible.

Medsin has a network of experienced trainers, most of whom have attended a Training New Trainers course (run either by IFMSA at their General Assemblies, or by Medsin itself). They are available to provide training on a local or national level through the Medsin Training Director.

Medsin-UK will host a combined three-day Training New Trainers and Training Old Trainers course in 2007. The course will take place:

  • Wednesday 18th – Friday 20th April 2007
  • University of Manchester, Manchester, England

Medsin-UK strongly believes that offering members training in leadership and project management is the key to improving sustainability and increasing both impact and efficiency across the organisation.

If you are currently a Medsin trainer and would like to learn more training skills to help you deliver more effective training on a wider range of subjects, we welcome you to apply to attend Training Old Trainers.

If you are a newcomer to Medsin training but are interested in learning to train in a variety of topics from leadership to conflict resolution and time management, then we welcome you to apply to attend Training New Trainers.

Please email Joel for more information.

For more info, see the Training page on the website

IFMSA stipulates that the three-day preparatory course must culminate in new trainers delivering four hours of training on a chosen topic at completion of the course; therefore the planned dates of TNT/TOT 2007 detailed above have been chosen to coincide with the Medsin-UK Spring General Assembly, London, 21st-22nd April. This is an ideal opportunity for new trainers to deliver training and to get more involved in the larger IFMSA training network.

Spring General Assembly

Medsin's 2007 Spring General Assembly will be held at Imperial in London on the 21st and 22nd of April.

This is a crucial meeting in shaping Medsin as an organisation as it's when the national committee for 2007/08 are voted in, voting sessions on a wide range of issues affecting Medsin occur and is a brilliant opportunity to network with other Medsin members and have a lot of fun.

For more information about what goes on at a General Assembly of Medsin, please see details of the Autumn General Assembly 2006.

Please put this date in your diary now and start thinking about making sure your branch/project/campaign is represented. We would like at least one person from each, but the more the merrier!

The deadline for motion submissions will be 11:59pm on Friday 6th April, 2007 and more details of how you can change the way Medsin works will follow in subsequent newsletters.

The Medsin-UK Constitution and Bylaws are available here - should you wish to submit any changes to these.

You may also submit policy statements - examples of these are available here.

If you want Medsin to *do* something, but you're not sure if what you're proposing is a change to the constitution, bylaws or a policy statement or guidance statement please email Jen for some nice friendly advice on how you can shape the way that Medsin works. She might even offer you a cup of tea whilst she expplains how things work...

Be On the Next Medsin National Committee

As you will have noticed from the special email bulletin sent out last week, the network is getting ready to elect its next national committee. We want to encourage as many people as possible to run for positions.

Absolutely anyone may apply for a National Commitee position - no matter your experience of Medsin!

The process of electing the national committee has changed and you may now run for more than one position at the Spring General Assembly. You may stand for one position in each of the following categories:

  • Category A - President
  • Category B - Vice President for Branches, Vice President for Projects, Vice President for External Affairs
  • Category C - Secretary, Treasurer, Campaigns Director, Training Director, Publicity Director, Technology and Communications Director

The elections will commence in the order A, B, C and if you are elected in one category, you must withdraw your candidature for other categories.

If you are interested, please read the following webpages and documents:

Application Page - for essential information about all positions - more detailed positions and job descriptions than included in this email. Also has important information about the new procedure for voting in the National Committee.

Current National Committee Page - information about this year's national committee and how to get in touch with them. Please ensure that you contact the person holding the relevant position before applying.

Applications (a 500 word summary of motivation) for each position you are running for must be received to the current committeeno later than midnight on 11:59pm on Friday, 6th April. You will then be expected to attend the Spring General Assembly and make a short speech to the network.

Candidature Forms are available here and must be signed by your branch president and handed to the National Secretary before the first voting session of the Spring General Assembly. If these are not received, your candidature will be declared invalid. If you are the branch president, two members of your committee must sign the form on your behalf.

If any of this seems confusing -don't be put off!! Email Jen for more information and clarification.

Be a Campaigns Coordinator for Medsin

Campaigns coordinators for all Medsin campaigns that do not have their own general assemblies are elected at the Spring General Aseembly each year.

Campaigns coordinators run their campaign, liaising with local branches running that campaign, sit on Medsin's activities board and represent their campaign as a voting member of Medsin. Campaigns coordinators also work with the coordinators of other campaigns as part of the Campaigns Team, headed by the Campaigns Director on the National Committee.

If you want to find out more about the role, contact the current coordinator of the campaign by clicking on the campaign's name below. You should also contact Pete, Medsin's Campaigns Direcotr. If you are the current campaign coordinator, you may stand for re-election.

Coordinators needed for:

If you want to stand for election as a campaign coordinator please send a statement of motivation to the national committee by 11.59pm on Friday the 6th of April.

As well as electing campaigns coordinators, we will also be electing priority campaigns.

GHEP Coordinator Needed

The coordinator for the Global Health Education Project will also be elected at the SGA.

GHEP - Global Health Education Project - please contact Rob and Vanessa at this address to find out what this role involves.

Please send a letter of motivation to the national committee by 11.59pm on Friday 6th April.

Global Health and Human Rights: Theoretical Perspectives

ESRC Research Seminar Series on Global Health and Human Rights Theory, Process and Substance

19th - 20th April 2007 The Liverpool Law School, Liverpool

Convenors: Dr Maria Stuttaford and Professor Gillian Lewando Hundt, University of Warwick Professor John Harrington, University of Liverpool

Speakers include:

  • Professor Upendra Baxi (University of Warwick) - 'The Place of the Human Right to Health. Contemporary Approaches to Global Justice; Some Impertinent Interrogations'
  • Professor Brigit Toebes (University of Aberdeen) - 'Taking a Human Rights Approach to Health Care Commercialisation'
  • Professor Robyn Martin (University of Hertfordshire) - 'Comparative National Population Health Laws And Comparative Approaches To Human Rights: Seeking Global Health In A Disparate World'
  • Professor Udo Schuklenk (Glasgow Caledonian University) - 'The 10/90 Gap in International Health Research - Drug R&D: Whose Moral Responsibility is it?'
  • Dr Lisa Forman (University of Toronto) - 'What Future for the Minimum Core? From the Margins to the Centre: The International Right to Health and the South African Experience'
  • Professor Roger Brownsword (King's College London) - 'The Ancillary-Care Responsibilities of Researchers: Reasonable But Not Great Expectations'
  • Professor Paul Hunt (UN Special Rapporteur on the right to the highest attainable standard of health) - The health and human rights movement: progress and obstacles
  • Professor Simon Caney (Oxford University) - 'Global Justice, Health and Climate Change'

Cost - £ 40 per person (includes lunch on arrival, tea/coffee on both days and lunch before departure).

Numbers are limited.

There are fully subsidised places for 3 voluntary organisations and 3 post graduate students. These will be allocated on first come, first serve basis.

Last updated on Wednesday 28 March 2007 at 13:48.