Press Release — January 26, 2015
Article 25 holding referendum on urgent issues threatening global health care
International grassroots health organization to launch advocacy campaigns based on results
Contact: Daniel Sufranski, djsufran@gmail.com, +1–630–772–7223 http://join25.org
BOSTON, USA— Article 25, an international movement advocating for the right to basic health care, is asking people around the world to tell them which of these is the most important issue facing global health in 2015:
- Making medicines affordable by challenging drug patent laws and protecting access to generics;
- Changing global debt policies to make health care affordable;
- Improving drug development to make medicines affordable.
The winning issue will become the focus of Article 25’s 2015 advocacy campaign. The vote is being carried out online and offline through paper ballots from now through February 28.
“For the first time ever, individuals and communities across the world will have the opportunity to clearly express their right to health,” wrote Hugues Fongang, a Global Vote Captain and student at the University of Douala in Cameroon. “It will be a unique moment to share your voice and define your priorities related to health.”
Voters can also vote on a second question regarding other issues that affect their local health systems such as staffing constraints, lack of supplies, and poor health care financing. Votes can be cast either online or offline through paper ballots. The vote will prioritize reaching women and people in low-income communities to ensure that the vote is truly representative.
“At Article 25, we believe everyday people, not powerful politicians or CEO’s, should decide the future of health care on our planet,” said Ankur Asthana, Co-Founder of Article 25 and Associate in Global Health & Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School. “The average person is so much more powerful than they know — and that is why we want people to tell us which global health issues need to be most urgently addressed in 2015.”
To learn more about the Article 25 vote and to participate, visit: join25.org/vote. You can also join Article 25’s conversation on Twitter and Facebook by using the hashtag #RightToHealth.
The Article 25 movement launched in October 2014 with the first ever Global Day of Action for the right to health with more than 160 events across 65 countries. Currently the vote is being carried out in 19 countries across 5 continents: Africa (Burundi, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Uganda), Asia (Bangladesh, India, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam), Europe (Italy, Spain), North America (United States), and South America (Brazil).
###
