Medact’s blog brings together the online health community. We blog our own pieces as well as co-host articles written by other bloggers who work on the issues of poverty, violence, injustice and inequality.
2019 Manifesto Analysis
It’s election time, so we’ve been poring over the manifestos from all the major parties to see how they stack up against the aims of our different campaigns and work areas.
On Tasers, policing and imagining new responses to violence
With the recent announcement of Tasers being made more widely available for use by the police in the UK, black feminist organiser and Global Health postgraduate Sarah Lasoye argues that the health community must take notice.
Is there a place for civil nuclear power in the 21st century?
To correspond with the recent publication of the IPPNW-Germany paper ‘How Nuclear Power powers the Bomb’, we publish a blog by Frank Boulton outlining the financial, environmental, health and geo-political arguments around nuclear power.
By supporting arms sales, our government abets murder
With the DSEI arms fair underway, Daniel Flecknoe and Dr Ahmed Razavi outline the public health impacts of armed conflict, and argue that the UK government’s sale of arms to countries such as Saudi Arabia makes them an accessory to war crimes.
Either Civil Rule or Everlasting Sit-in
Since December 2018, protests across Sudan have been taking place almost daily – with healthcare workers playing a central role. In this piece, we provide the background to the ongoing struggle and platform the voice of Dr. Mohammed Abdelraoof Hussien, a doctor in Sudan.
Net-zero by 2050 is too little too late; some reaction to the Committee on Climate Change Net Zero report
Our Fossil Free Health campaigner, Deirdre Duff, offers some reaction to the recent Net Zero report by the Committee on Climate Change.
Activism, extractivism and the healthcare community
A profit-driven, extractive economy is severely undermining the life support systems of the planet and exacerbating health inequities around the world. The fossil fuel industry epitomises the worst of what drives this system, and is responsible for impacting the...
DWP not Fit for Practice
In yet another demonstration of government departments concerning intervention in healthcare provision, a recent report released by Z2K highlights a new practice by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) that could have real impact on health equity. The report...
War, violence and the mental health crisis in Kashmir
Kashmiri student and Medact member Neelam Iqbal writes about the mental health toll of the decades long conflict and calls for us to pay more attention to the needs of the people of Kashmir.
Stop Funding the End of the World – Don’t Bank on the Bomb
Don’t Bank on the Bomb Scotland introduces their new toolkit, giving some tips for actions we can take to urge our elected representatives, institutions and banks to divest from nuclear weapons.
Fighting for intergenerational justice – midwives can be climate champions
Alison Reid urges midwives to get involved in the fossil fuel divestment movement as a means of acting on climate change. Babies being born today face a future marred by climate breakdown if we do not act urgently. Climate action is far more than an environmental concern – it’s a matter of intergenerational justice and crucial to protect human health.
When all we have is ourselves – a reflection of non-violent direct action in social justice movements
In this blog, we ask ourselves what is driving citizens to NVDA, how health professionals have historically engaged in arrestable political action and what this has meant, or might mean, for their careers. For this, we interviewed two practicing health professionals about their experiences and insights into engaging in NVDA and how this informs their activism.