Blogs

A day long consultation on the subject 'Meeting Health Rights by Free Treatment to All Indians - Requirements and Challenges' is being jointly organized by Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, Centre for Budget and Governance, Oxfam India, Centre for Legislative Research & Action, Sama, and Prayas at Dy. Speaker’s Hall, Constitution Club, New Delhi on 4^th May 2010 from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

On the occasion of World Health Day, Jan Swasthya Abhiyaan (JSA), All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), Sama – Resource Group for Women and Health and Saheli Women’s Resource Centre organised a Press Conference to highlight our concerns regarding the HPV vaccines and to voice our opposition to the un

An International Consultation on the commercial, economic and ethical aspects of Assisted Reproductive Technologies titled Unraveling the Fertility Industry: Challenges and Strategies for Movement Building was organized by Sama in Delhi from the 22nd to the 24th of January 2010. During this three day consultation, over 80 participants from more than 10 countries-- including activists, researchers, and academics -- came together to discuss issues and concerns around the growth and proliferation of what is now a veritable ART industry.

The recently launched (and extremely aggressive) marketing campaign against Cervical Cancer has caught Sama’s attention. This GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) sponsored “public awareness campaign” bears distinct resemblance to a previous campaign by MSD (Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.) with the caption ‘Guard Yourself’. Interestingly, both the advertisements do not disclose the name of the vaccine. Moreover, there is no mention of contraindications or side effects.

In a Memorandum to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, public health activists, along with several health networks and organisations, voiced concerns around the introduction of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine Gardasil. The Memorandum is as follows: To Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Nirman Bhavan, Maulana Azad Road, New Delhi 110 011 Date: October 1, 2009 Subject: Concerns around Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine Sir,

A Workshop 12th and 13th December 2009, New Delhi Sama is organizing a two-day workshop on the draft National Health Bill, which is a critical first step towards legal recognition of the right to health and health care in India and its operationalisation, and therefore necessitates an in-depth understanding and analysis of its provisions. This workshop follows several requests that we have received from organisations and provides an opportunity to develop a comprehensive understanding of the Draft Bill based on a public health and gender analysis.

An International Consultation January 22 – 24, 2010, New Delhi Sama is organizing an International Consultation that will look into the issues of Commercialization of Assisted Reproductive Technologies and its Ethical implications. The Consultation aims to bring together activists/scholars and researchers from different parts of the world particularly from regions that are experiencing the implications of these technologies. Through this consultation, we intend to: