Dear friends,
In this week’s update, we take a look at a
controversial trade agreement between the EU and India that threatens to leave
millions of people without access to affordable, life-saving medicines. We also
discuss a recent CNN broadcast that many fear will further stigmatize people
with mental disabilities.
Thank you for reading and please send me your feedback.
Paul Silva
psilva@sorosny.org
Follow me on Twitter: @PauloNYC
Thousands Protest for Affordable HIV
Medicines in India
Thousands of people living with HIV and
cancer took to the streets in India
to protest a planned trade agreement between the European Union and India. Health
experts and activists say the agreement would restrict access to affordable,
generic versions of lifesaving medicines.
We recently blogged about the
negative implications of the proposed agreement and interviewed
Indian HIV activist Loon Gangte for his perspective.
Loon, who is living with HIV, calls the proposed deal “a matter of life and
death.” Read the interview and share your thoughts with Loon and
other activists.
Médecins Sans Frontières, which
relies on medicines developed in India to treat people with AIDS in
the developing world, is encouraging people to sign a petition to the European Commission to “keep your
hands off our medicine!”
Looking Beyond the Scandal: Mental
Health in Kenya
CNN recently broadcast “Locked Up and
Forgotten,” a special feature on people with mental disabilities in Kenya. While
the program showed plenty of disturbing images of people in dire conditions, it
neglected to show any positive examples of programs that help people with
mental disabilities live full and happy lives. In her blog post,
Judy Klein asks why the media insists only on focusing on the misery of people
with mental disabilities. Would it be too dull to showcase the successful
programs currently being implemented in Kenya?
Read Judy’s blog, watch the
video, and tell us what you think.
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