The Health Cause
December, 12, 2023, Utrecht City Center University Library
"This unequal distribution of health is in no way a 'natural' phenomenon but is the result of a toxic combination of poor social policies, unfair economic arrangements, and bad politics." — World Health Organization, 2008 [translation own]
According to the constitution, the government is obligated to protect public health in the Netherlands. However, one may question whether our policy choices prioritize corporate profits over our right to health. Examples include the lack of legislation against polluting companies that harm their neighbors, the absence of policies to phase out fossil fuel subsidies, government inaction on excessive amounts of sugar, salt, and fat in our food, and state investments in the gambling industry. If you are highly educated, you have a life expectancy that is four to six years longer and a healthy life expectancy that is up to 15 years longer. Are these differences merely coincidental, or are they the result of failed government policy? We discussed these and other topics in our fourth public dialogue of 2023-2024 in the series "Political Determinants of Health."
On December 12, two days after the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the first meeting of "The Health Cause" took place. Central to the discussion was the question: "What does the right to health mean to you?" We began with a performance by HKU students inspired by "The Shell Case." The following speakers shared their inspiring stories about the fight for fair health policies:
- Wim de Ceukelaire is a doctor, health and social justice activist, and a driving force behind the Belgian health movement "Medicine for the People."
- Antoinette Verbrugge is a pioneer in the lawsuit against Tata Steel, founder of "Gezondheid op 1" (Health First), and a local resident near Tata Steel.
- Wilbert Bannenberg is a physician and founder of "Pharma Accountability," which is pursuing a lawsuit against the pharmaceutical company AbbVie. Due to high prices for the rheumatoid arthritis drug Humira, the company has, he claims, "displaced" up to 16,300 healthy life years.
After an introduction to the topic by the speakers, the audience engaged in small group discussions about what the right to health means to them. The insights and cases shared were so valuable that we immediately decided to organize another public dialogue on this topic, scheduled for February 28, 2024, in Amsterdam.