Newsletter 159

Contents

Action of the week

"We believe that the current charging regulations are a danger to both individual and public health and are preventing vulnerable people living in the UK, including pregnant women, from accessing vital treatment. These inhumane regulations not only damage people’s health and violate their human rights, but result in increased and unnecessary costs to the NHS."

Sign the petition here

National News and Events

Anything Else

Of the Month

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!

National News and Events

MEDSIN NATIONAL CONFERENCE THIS WEEKEND!!!!!!

The Medsin National Conference 2007 is only 6 days away. If you haven't got a ticket yet, move fast to www.medsin07.org. They are selling up like hot cakes. If you have already bought your ticket you can now choose your workshops online by completing registration. Bring a friend, a sleeping bag and your dancing shoes. See you there!

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Could your branch host the National Conference 2008?

Organising a Medsin conference is an essential part of the network's annual activities and gives your branch the opportunity to play a really important role in raising awareness about global health issues amongst students.

Guidance is available form the National Committee throughout the process and we hope that you will benefit from the experience of branches who have previously organised conferences on behalf of Medsin.

If your branch is interested, you will have the opportunity to bid to host the meeting at the voting session that will take place on the Saturday afternoon of this year's National Conference in Dundee. You should think about getting a team together, have some ideas of themes and your capability to host the conference and present these to Medsin members at the voting session.

If you are interested or have any questions about organising the conference, please email the committee.

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Voting at National Conference 2007, Dundee

An extraordinary meeting of the General Assembly of Medsin will take place at the National Conference in Dundee.

In other words, branch presidents, campaigns and projects coordinators will have a chance to represent their members by voting on issues central to the running of Medsin as an organisation.

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Join a Medsin Small Working Group

2 Opportunities to join a small working group which need to be formed after the AGA:

  • Conferences

To review the expenditure of the last 6 major conferences and to decide priorities for core expenditure of future conferences. We are looking for 5 people for this small working group.

  • IFMSA

To investigate how we work with the IFMSA, such that both networks benefit. The National Committee will select a gruop that complies with the guidance statement passed at the AGA.

To express an interest in either group, please send an e-mail to the committee by midnight Fiday 26th October.

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Save Our NHS - Public health not private wealth! Big demonstration next Saturday, 3rd November, London.

The NHS is under attack. Its founding principles of free health care for all are being scrapped for a business model of health care for profit. We all need the NHS, as a doctor or as a patient. We know the public supports the NHS in a big way, so lets make sure the government knows this! This is our chance to stand up for what we believe in and demand the end to cut backs and privatisation. Lets not be the generation that stood there and watched while the NHS was destroyed.

This demo has been called by NHS Together (a coalition of public service unions) and Keep Our NHS Public, with diverse support including Health Emergency, local health action groups and the BMA.

Medsin will be meeting outside Temple station (Victoria embankment) at 10.45am. Come dressed in scrubs (or doctors & nurses, as you wish!) and look out for the Medsin banner.

Posters, badges and presentations are available for advertising the demo, just email me . And let us know if you are coming.

Lets make this huge! Pete.

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SEXBALL - 24th November, Birmingham

Sexpression will be hosting an afternoon of great speakers on sexual and maternal health globally at Birmingham Medical School. We have speakers lined up to talk on everything from Female Genital Mutilation to HIV/AIDS.

This interesting afternoon will be followed by a evening of Sexpression fun! The evening starts with a champagne reception followed by 3 course dinner and disco. Dress code is black tie with a splash of red with World AIDS Day collections throughout the night.

Tickets are £35 for all of this. For more information or to buy your tickets contact Emily.

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Join the campaigns team, no experience required!

Medsin has recently expanded its campaigns team to encourage more people to get involved. You can help by doing a range of things such as:

  • Media work
  • Creating campaign resources for branches
  • Helping with our policy work
  • Publicity
  • Organising the campaigns day
  • Organising actions at conferences

Or just being generally involved with our work

Its an easy way to learn more about campaigning, and help make Medsin campaigns really successful. If you are interested at all, please email Pete and Jen.

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Medact 2007 Elisabeth James Lecture

Will be given by Dr. Helen Bamber OBE Helen has worked tirelessly in the human rights field for 60 years helping thousands of survivors worldwide, starting in Belsen after WWII. She was a founder member of Amnesty International and in 1985 established The Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture, where she was a guiding light until early 2005. Named European Woman of Achievement in 1993, she was awarded the OBE in 1997 and in the same year also received a lifetime Human Rights Achievement award for her work. She is on a number of advisory boards in related fields and holds honorary degrees from Oxford, Dundee, Ulster, Essex, Kingston & American Intl. University.

There is sure to be a great demand so please reserve your tickets early

Details:

  • Friday 26th of October at 7pm
  • 120 Belsize Lane, London NW3 5BA
  • Tickets are £5 for Medact and Medsin Members all others £10

For tickets or more information, please e-mail moyrarushby@medact.org or telephone 020 7324 4739

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STAR conference

The 10th national conference hosted by Student Action for Refugees (STAR) is taking place 10th-11th November 2007 at the Human Rights Action Centre in Shoreditch, Central London.

The only conference for students and young people on refugee issues, this year's line up features an impressive array of contributors from notable organisations such as the Refugee Council, UNHCR, Amnesty and the Medical Foundation. In addition, there will be speakers ranging from MPs and journalists to writers and refugees with personal experiences to share, as well as workshops, a Question Time panel and a lively party with live music and DJs to celebrate the fact that this is our tenth conference.

STAR Conference is open to anyone aged 16-25. It costs just £25, which includes the full weekend Conference programme, all food, crashpad accommodation on Saturday night and free admission to the legendary STAR party. We have a limited number of bursaries for those who can't afford the Conference fee, and anyone with a refugee experience is welcome for free.

To take part in Conference or for more information, visit our website, email us or call 020 7840 4443.

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Pharmageddon

Health Action International are running a project called Pharmaggedon at the moment. There's 8x £1000 (maybe about to rise to £5000 for 1st!) prizes available for submitting an abstract of 350 words on the concept of Pharmageddon:

"Pharmageddon? Is a hypothesis. Pharmageddon? describes "the prospect of a world in which medicines and medicine produce more ill-health than health, and when medical progress does more harm than good".

Click here for more information.

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Anything Else?

The following aren't affilliated in any way with Medsin, but we thought you might be interested.

Urgent request for Partners in Health Volunteers on Arcade Fire European Tour.

Arcade Fire are supporting the work of Partners in Health (PIH) throughout their European tour. They are looking for volunteers to help raise awareness of Partners in Health at all their European Gigs. You get Free entry to the gig of you volunteer. Please email chamann@pih.org With "Arcade Fire and (city name)" if you could help out at any of the following shows.
Volunteering entails: showing up before doors open, collecting donations for PIH, passing out Arcade Fire/PIH posters, and spreading awareness about the work of Partners In Health and our connection with Arcade Fire. Each volunteer gets FREE entry to the show.

Tour Cities and Dates: October:

  • 24th Dublin, Ireland - Phoenix Park
  • 26th Glasgow, Scotland - SECC
  • 27th Manchester, England - MEN Arena
  • 29th Newcastle, England - Metro Radio Arena
  • 30th Cardiff, Wales - International Arena
  • 31st Nottingham, England - Arena

November:

  • 17th London, England - Alexandra Palace
  • 18th London, England - Alexandra Palace
  • 19th London, England - Alexandra Palace

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Conference Series: Climate Change and Health at the Royal Society of Medicine, London

There is now overwhelming evidence that global warming is rapidly progressing, and major climate changes are already being experienced in many parts of the world. This series of evening meetings at the Royal Society of Medicine aims to examine and forecast the effects on human health, with the intention of increasing awareness of the serious threat to our planet.

The series includes the following meetings:

  • Monday 15 October 2007 - Global warming - setting the scene
  • Monday 29 October 2007 - Global warming and infectious disease: human and animal hazards
  • Monday 12 November 2007 - Global warming and food production: will we starve?
  • Monday 26 November 2007 - Action for the health consequences of climate change

All meetings are from 5:45 pm – 8:00 pm Special block booking rates are available for attending all 4 meetings

For more information and to register online please visit http://www.rsm.ac.uk/diar/diary.php or contact Sinem Gocmen Tel: 020 7290 3856 fax: 020 7290 2989 mail:sinem.gocmen@rsm.ac.uk.

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Wealth, Health and Happiness

A Public Event, Everyone Welcome, Admission £5 (on the day) at Friends House, 173 Euston Road NW1 2BJ

On Saturday, 10th November 2007 (2-5pm including refreshments) with Richard Laylard, author, Happiness - Lessons from a new Science and Richard Wilkinson, author, The Impact of Inequality)

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Nuclear Weapons and Human Choice

Please find attached a flyer for a wonderful event in December organised by ORG and supported by the British Pugwash Group and the WMD AP.

It is called 'Nuclear Weapons and Human Choice' and is a showing of the film of Michael Frayn's play 'Copenhagen'. The film will be introduced by Michael Frayn and he will take part in discussion afterwards with Frank von Hippel, Scilla Elworthy, Maj-Britt Theorin and Frank Barnaby.

Please do advertise the event widely and PLEASE do put promote this with student groups and put any students who would wish to attend in touch with me so that we can offer them a free place. Student tickets would normally be £10. Carol

If interested, please get in touch with the committee.

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Of the Month

Project focus: Marrow: A Trans-national Project

At the 57th IFMSA General Assembly held this summer in Canterbury, UK, Marrow was awarded trans-national project status. This was the culmination of several years of hard work by different national Marrow co-ordinators and members of the Medsin national committee. Acquiring trans-national status means that Marrow, a project that has existed in the UK for the past 10 years, is now internationally recognised by IFMSA affiliated national member organisations. This will undoubtedly be beneficial in helping to establish Marrow in other countries around the world.

Marrow was created in 1998 by medical students from Nottingham University. It has since grown to become one of Medsin’s biggest projects, with branches in every UK medical school and some overseas institutions. In 2006 it won the IFMSA’s Rex Crossley Award for best international project. An application for trans-national status was first proposed in 2005 by the then national committee. The application included detailed explanations of what Marrow aims to achieve and the means by which will go about this, the setting and discussion of a ten year plan, including long and short term objectives and support for overseas groups.

Following several re-submissions over the past two years, each time after improving on previous criticisms from the project proposals review committee, trans-national status was finally granted this year.

Mark Prince National Co-ordinator

See the Marrow page for more info.

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Last updated on Tuesday 23 October 2007 at 22:29.