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The Indian government should learn its lessons from the failure of the for-profit private sector and PMJAY to provide any meaningful response during the COVID-19 epidemic and stop promoting the private healthcare sector. Annual health budgets need to increase and the Government should invest money in adding to the capacity of public healthcare facilities and infrastructure instead of giving subsidies to the private sector. This crisis should be a turning point in India’s health policy making, and bring back the centrality of the public health system in ensuring universal health care. To Read Full Statement in English- CLICK HERE To Read Full Statement in Hindi    – CLICK HERE

Previous outbreaks of highly infectious communicable diseases have demonstrated that public health outcomes are significantly improved when labour rights are respected, and trade unions are able to effectively represent workers actually exposed and potentially exposed to the disease. The active involvement of health workers’ representatives in government decision-making is necessary to safeguard workplace safety and health and ensure the cost of the crisis is not borne by healthcare personnel. To read Full Position Paper- CLICK HERE

Joint statement by JSA and AIPSN urging the Prime Minister and his Government to urgently do the following 7 things. Click Here For English Statement- FULL STATEMENT Click Here for Hindi Statement- FULL STATEMENT  

This is the third weekly update by JSA-AIPSN. It follows the first JSA-AIPSN Update of March 23rd, 2020 and the second JSA-AIPSN Update of April 2nd, 2020. This update thus covers developments of the last two weeks. In this document we provide an update on the Epidemiology of the corona virus disease. Comment on the new public health strategy unveiled this week by Government of India and then discuss the considerations going into the lifting of the lock-down and our position on it. We then present the weekly update of our four working groups looking at: access to essential technologies. Health system preparedness. Lockdown restrictions and concerns of rights and ethics. Crisis in livelihoods and government response to it. To read the full weekly update- CLICK HERE

Efforts are being made by the Centre and different States to prepare the health system for the larger number of cases that are expected in the coming  weeks, discussions are underway on whether the present lockdown should be extended, perhaps till the end of April. In this context, a detailed review of the present lockdown, its achievements and weaknesses, particularly regarding implementation, is called for. Read Full Statement in English- CLICK HERE Read Full Statement in Hindi- CLICK HERE

On the occasion of World Health Day, JSA and AIPSN seek to draw attention to the current status of the COVID-19 pandemic in India and the Government’s response to it. There are three inter-related crises at play at this time: – a public health crisis due to gaps in the COVID19 strategy – a high level of stigmatization and brutality in the anti-COVID19 measures – a social and economic crisis precipitated by the nation-wide lockdown Read Full Press Release- CLICK HERE

Recommendations for Prisons in light of the COVID19 pandemic by JSA and AIPSN. to read full statement- CLICK HERE

In this update we cover the following themes: 1. Making Sense of the numbers: Where are we in the epidemic curve 2. The lock-down and its sheer brutality 3. Do lock-downs work? 4. Health system preparedness 5. The peoples movement responseTo read the full weekly update in English- CLICK HERE To read the full weekly update in Hindi- CLICK HERE

We, Jan Swasthya Abhiyan and All India People’s Science Network are extremely concerned at the way the Government has announced the nationwide lockdown in an arbitrary and poorly prepared manner without notice, which has had serious implications especially for poor and vulnerable sections.  The total clampdown on public and other forms of transportation, which threatens the health and lives of the people, are of particular concern. Global evidence as also reiterated recently by the World Health Organisation (WHO), indicates that lockdowns by themselves will not break the chain of infections, but  must be accompanied by other measures. Read Full Statement-CLICK HERE

From our interaction at state level, we are deeply concerned that the preparations are patchy, slow, and selective. In our enclosed advisory, we have put together the very many aspects on which all state governments and the state governments needs to take immediate action. We demand that urgent action be taken on each and every one of these suggestions. We also call on you to include representatives of our organizations in monitoring the pace and comprehensiveness and quality of preparation. Read Full Statement- CLICK HERE