The People’s Health Movement (PHM) Scotland is set to host a local People’s Health Assembly in Glasgow on June 10. The aim of the assembly is to address the persistent health inequities that continue to affect this region. PHM Scotland intends to strengthen the public health movement by providing resources for those campaigning for improved health in Scotland, including evidence, networks, and best practice.
Health activists in Scotland have dedicated years to researching and campaigning for health equity. PHM Scotland has contributed significantly to this work in recent years, including hosting a people’s health inquiry on the impact of COVID-19 on health inequities in Glasgow in 2022 and compiled a People’s Health Manifesto to guide public health policies the previous year. During the upcoming People’s Health Assembly in Glasgow, discussions will cover topics such as political and economic alternatives, the right to a healthy environment, workers’ health, food sustainability and access, and justice in healthcare—which have been tackled in the previous phases as well.
The organizers have recognized that although Scotland has a rich history of health justice activism, the current initiatives lack synergy. The assembly will therefore aim to foster unity among ongoing struggles and elevate them by building a unified social movement.
In a comment for People’s Health Dispatch, Tony Robertson from PHM Scotland emphasized, “We must shift our focus from merely surviving and coping with health inequities to demanding and implementing systemic change. Only by doing so can we achieve true health justice for all.”
It has become apparent, as noted by the Socialist Health Association (SHA) Scotland, that the field of health policy in Scotland has witnessed ample analysis but limited action. Consequently, the gap between the richest and poorest individuals in Scottish society has widened. SHA Scotland’s recent warnings state that, in 2016-2018, the infant mortality rate was 2.6 times higher in the most deprived areas of Scotland, compared to a difference of 1.8 times in 2000-2002. Additionally, individuals residing in the most deprived areas of Scotland face a 3.9 times higher likelihood of dying from avoidable deaths than those in the least deprived areas.
While the health impacts of social inequities have been a cause for concern among activists and researchers for years, unfortunately, this concern has not translated into effective policy. PHM Scotland stated on this matter that “Current and past policy responses to the underlying issues which create and exacerbate the conditions of inequality and impact on the social determinants of health have proved ineffectual.”
The activists involved in organizing the People’s Health Assembly are hopeful that they can bring about change. They aim to develop grassroots policy proposals based on field observations and initiatives that have already been successfully implemented on a smaller scale, and hope the assembly will represent an important step towards achieving this.
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