Medact

IPPNW Student Discussion on "The Vow from Hiroshima" and the Importance of Medical Student Activism
2021-08-09 15:00 - 17:00 (Europe/London) | Zoom
“The Vow from Hiroshima” is an intimate portrait of Setsuko Thurlow, a passionate, 89-year-old survivor of the atomic bombing. Her moving story is told through the lens of her growing friendship with a second generation survivor, Mitchie Takeuchi. “The Vow” will be available to stream on 7-8 August for our event’s participants.
With introductory remarks from the filmmakers Mitchie Takeuchi and Susan Strickler followed by comments from Hiroshima survivor Setsuko Thurlow in a conversation with IPPNW international medical students movement from Kenya, India, Russia, United States and Germany. Register now to join the conversation on 9 August.
As a 13 year old child, Setsuko miraculously survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, an experience that shaped her life forever as a tireless activist for nuclear abolition. The film is a timely exploration of the global dangers of nuclear weapons and provides an insider’s perspective as we see Setsuko work with the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons. The culmination of Setsuko’s decades of activism is her acceptance speech at the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony in Oslo and the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in 2021. 2021 marks the 76th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima.
Register now to access the film stream and discussion

Medact Tyneside group meeting
2021-08-09 18:00 - 19:30
After a bit of a break our Tyneside group will be meeting again on Monday 9th August. If you’re interested in joining please drop us an email to office@medact.org and we’ll put you in touch!

Onboarding Call: Health for a Green New Deal
2021-08-09 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
Health for a Green New Deal is building a grassroots-powered health movement for a just and green society, one that prioritises the health of people and planet. All those who work in or study health are welcome to join us and help build the movement!
Interested in getting involved in Health for a Green New Deal? Join us for an onboarding session to find out everything you need to know about our plan to build unstoppable social pressure for a transformative Green New Deal.
Each onboarding session lasts approximately 90 mins and covers our strategy, message, organising principles and the ways you can get involved in Health for a Green New Deal – from joining a national coordinating team to setting up a local hub.
Sign up below to join an upcoming onboarding session.
[Registration has now closed]

Research Network: Climate & Health Group Meeting
2021-08-18 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
Our Climate & Health Research Group will be meeting on Wednesday 18th August to discuss ongoing projects in the build up to COP 26.
For more details about the work of the group and to get involved, email Rob Abrams on robabrams@medact.org.
Find out more about the wider Medact Research Network.

Economic Justice & Health Group Meeting
2021-08-19 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
Our Economic Justice and Health Group is a growing movement of health workers calling for action to address widening inequalities in health through economic system change. Current focuses include welfare, work, housing and taxation policies for better population health at both local and national levels.
All those who work in or study health are welcome to join us and help build the movement!
Join us for a meeting to find out everything you need to know about our plan to bring about an Economy centred on Health and Wellbeing.
The meeting will be a chance to hear about our strategy, messaging, how you can get involved and our plans for the next few months. We will also have a couple of guest speakers who will be speaking about gaps in welfare policy and the fight against economic exploitation and outsourcing of cleaners, porters and security guards, especially those working in the health sector.
Sign up below to join our upcoming meeting.
[Registration has now closed]

Movement Builders: What’s the deal with COP 26?
2021-08-24 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
What’s the deal with COP 26? Join us for the August Movement Builders Session of the Health for a Green New Deal Campaign to find out what to expect at COP 26. We’ll be joined by speakers from the COP 26 Coalition and Glasgow Calls out Polluters to dive into some of the key issues at COP to inform how we organise and take action for climate justice!
If you’re brand new to Health for a Green New Deal, we’re running an optional onboarding 30 minutes before the main meeting. Feel free to join us for the onboarding to hear about Health for a Green New Deal’s message, organising principles and our strategy to win!
Join us at 18.30 for the onboarding for newcomers, or join us at 19.00 for the main session.
[Registration has now closed]

Group Meeting: Medact North East
2021-08-25 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
The newly renamed Medact North East group will be meeting online on Wednesday 25th August from 7 – 8.30pm.
Medact Climate Lead Rob Abrams will be joining and the focus will be on COP26 and actions on 18th September.
If you would like to join, please contact northeast@medact.org

Health Action for the Green New Deal Bill
2021-09-01 00:00 - 2021-10-31 23:59 | Across the UK, United Kingdom
What’s happening?
This Autumn, the Decarbonisation and Economic Strategy Bill (otherwise known as the Green New Deal Bill) returns to Parliament. The Bill aims to end licensing for new fossil fuel projects, promote the rapid decarbonisation of our economy, support healthy food systems, safeguard natural habitats, restore biodiversity and tackle inequality, all the while investing in millions of good quality green jobs!
The Bill presents a unique opportunity for the promotion of both public and planetary health ─ one in which the health community has a crucial role to play. The changes we’re calling for are not small. To win, we need to build public support to put pressure on MPs to do the right thing.
What will the action involve?
This action will involve setting up a local ‘Climate Clinic’ to engage the public on the health impacts of the climate crisis and encourage them to take action by signing a postcard to their MP asking that they support the Green New Deal Bill.
We’re encouraging groups to run their Climate Clinics on either Saturday 25th September or Saturday 2nd October – but if this isn’t possible for you/your group, please do still sign up, it’ll be okay to run it on another day that suits you.
We’ve produced an action guide that explains the step-by-step process of how to set up your own Climate Clinic. Additionally, we will be running training calls on 13th and 27th September going over the process of setting up a Climate Clinic and how to have persuasive conversations with members of the public.
Sign up now to join the action!
This signup has now closed!

AGM 2021
2021-09-04 11:00 - 13:00 | Zoom
The annual Medact members meeting is just around the corner! This is the second we’re holding online to help us stay safe from the coronavirus, but we have a packed agenda including important business for how Medact runs. We hope to see you there!

It was wonderful to see so many of you online at last year’s meeting, and this year we’re looking forward to bringing so many members together again, both veterans as well as new faces! Over 200 new members have joined in the last year – a record! This meeting is an opportunity for us all to get together and consider the overall running of the organisation.

The day will include:

a chance to hear from a number of our campaigns and member groups

a menu of opportunities to get involved in the coming months

a discussion and voting on Medact’s organisational position on nuclear power (see more)

other essential business including scrutiny of our finances and election of Trustees (see more)

Non-members are welcome to join the meeting, but you must be a member to propose and vote on motions or in elections. If you would like to get involved in running Medact, why not join today?

Please RSVP to receive final papers and joining details:

[Registration has now closed]

Motions

We have one motion on the agenda, relating to Medact’s position on nuclear power:

‘It is proposed Medact adopt the following policy position:

Given the high costs of civil nuclear power, its close association with the military and the detrimental and prolonged effects of the nuclear industry on the global environment; and given the rapid increase in the much cheaper and more efficient sources of low-carbon renewable energy which could supply the bulk of all sources of power for the UK, thereby completely filling the gap left by the withdrawal of fossil fuels: the UK should abandon all plans to expand its civil nuclear power programme, and proceed vigorously with the development of renewable sources – wind, solar, geothermal and ocean.’

Proposed: Frank Boulton

Seconded: Bimal Khadka

Members may wish to refer to our consultation briefing on the issue when considering this motion.

Trustee elections

Three of our current Trustees have completed a first three-year term and will be standing for re-election:

Kitty Mohan

Kitty is a Consultant in Communicable Disease Control based in Oxford. Working in infectious disease public health (health protection), much of her last two years has been taken up with the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. A medical doctor by background, she completed Public Health training in London in March 2018 and was awarded a PhD in Epidemiology from King’s College London in 2016.

Kitty is currently the Chair of the International Committee at the British Medical Association, which leads on global health, refugee health, European issues, fair medical trade and international doctors and healthcare for the BMA. She is also Deputy Head of the UK delegation to the Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME). Prior to this, she was the President of the European Junior Doctor Association from 2018-2020, representing the interests of 300000 junior doctors across Europe. She was a member of BMA Council from 2013-18, has previously been Director of the BMA ,and was joint lead negotiator for junior doctor contract negotiations whilst Co-chair of the BMA Junior Doctors Committee between 2013 and 2015.

Lesley Morrison

Lesley, a retired GP with a background in public health, has been a member of Medact, and previously Medical Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons, since their inception. She lives south of Edinburgh, coordinates the Scottish group and is a member of Health for a Green New Deal. She is always looking for opportunities to write and speak about health professionals’ role in disarmament, especially ridding the world of nuclear weapons, and in the climate emergency.This has included offering SSCs on these issues to Edinburgh medical students.

Committed to the value of the arts and humanities for improving medical training and practice, and for health professionals’ wellbeing, she is co-editor of “Tools of the Trade”, a little book of poetry gifted to all Scottish medical graduates, and author of “The Wellbeing Toolkit for Doctors”.

Lesley has served as a trustee for three years, is proud of what Medact is achieving, is continuing to learn and would appreciate being considered for a second term.

Margaret Jackson

Margaret is a GP in a small but busy practice in rural North Yorkshire, as well as a GP trainer and co-ordinator for teaching in her practice for medical students from Hull York Medical School.

She has co-ordinated the Medact Yorkshire group since its inception in 2017, with a focus on campaigns around fracking and fossil fuel divestment.

Our current Treasurer, who is currently a co-opted Trustee, is also being put forward for election for a 3-year term:

Hannah Wright

Hannah is a data and analytics professional, currently working for Iris in London. Her passion for health justice stems from her academic background in Epidemiology & Public Health; she has a BSc in Biomedical Science from UCL and an MSc Epidemiology from Imperial College London. Before joining Medact, Hannah held the position of Treasurer and Growth & Development officer for Goal Diggers FC.

She has acted as Treasurer for Medact over the past year as a co-opted Trustee and has introduced methods to increase visibility and rigour of grant fundraising projections as well as visual methods to communicate account updates, as well as contributing to wider Medact discussions.

Stop the Arms Fair! Stop DSEI 2021
2021-09-06 - 2021-09-16
Every two years, one of the world’s biggest arms fairs is held in London’s Docklands.
DSEI sees weapons and technology manufacturers from across the world come to the ExCeL Centre in London to exhibit their products to representatives of governments and regimes across the world.
Campaign Against the Arms Trade will be organising protest events to #StopDSEI from 6th to 16th September 2021 — please see their website for details:
Read more about the arms fair
See the full list of #StopDSEI events

Research Meeting: 'Kill The Bill'
2021-09-06 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
The government has misleadingly branded the dangerous PCSC Bill a “public health approach” to combating serious violence. In response, we are putting together a briefing in support of the Kill The Bill movement, explaining why police-led enforcement is not the same as public health and why this Bill will actually harm health. This is our first research meeting to discuss this work.
We especially want to enable those from groups most affected by the Bill to contribute to this work but all are welcome.
For more info, contact office@medact.org

Access to Healthcare in a Hostile Environment
2021-09-06 19:30 - 21:00 | Zoom
On Monday 6th September, Medact Sheffield invites you to Access to Healthcare in the Hostile Environment, a webinar exploring how hostile environment immigration policies in the NHS are deterring migrants from accessing the care they need.
We’re honoured to be joined by Simba Mujakachi, as we build towards Simba’s Carnival of Resistance to the Hostile Environment where we’ll march with the Justice for Simba campaign to deliver his 67,000 signature petition to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital.
In this webinar we’ll hear from Simba and his father Victor about their experiences of being on the receiving end of inhumane NHS charging policies, Dr Rizwana Lala will speak about the public health impacts of the Hostile Environment, and together we’ll discuss how you get get involved with the Patients Not Passports campaign both locally and nationally.
Sign up, and we’ll see you there!
Medact Sheffield
Speakers
Simba, who came to the UK as a teenager in 2004 – was sent a bill for more than £93,000 after he suffered a stroke and spent 2 weeks in a coma, because of his immigration status. Now he is calling on everyone to oppose migrant charging in the NHS and call for an end to the hostile environment immigration policies. He speaks of his personal experience facing the hostile environment and campaigning against it.
Victor, Simba’s father and long-time Sheffield activist has worked with ASSIST, Voice for the Voiceless and South Yorkshire Migration and Asylum Action group (SYMAAG). He speaks passionately about his experience of the hostile environment and local campaigns he has been a part of.
Rizwana is a dentist, public health consultant and mum here in Sheffield.
[Registration has now closed]

Group Meeting: Medact North East
2021-09-08 19:00 - 20:30, 2021-09-22 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
Medact North East holds fortnightly meetings on Wednesdays at 7pm ─ currently online.
If you would like to join, please contact northeast@medact.org

Research Network: Climate & Health Group Meeting
2021-09-08 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
Our Climate & Health Research Group will be meeting on Wednesday 8th September to discuss ongoing projects in the build up to COP 26.
For more details about the work of the group and to get involved, email Rob Abrams on robabrams@medact.org.
Find out more about the wider Medact Research Network.

A transformative Green New Deal — getting the BMA on board
2021-09-09 18:30 - 20:00 | Zoom
Doctors and medical students have been organising within their trade union in support of a radical response to the climate crisis! They have successfully managed to get a Green New Deal motion on to the BMA’s conference agenda – it will be debated at the annual representatives meeting on the weekend of the 13th-14th September.
In this event we’ll hear from grassroots organisers within the BMA about what they’ve done so far, and discuss what we should do next in the campaign to get the BMA to support the Green New Deal. Most importantly we’ll discuss how doctors and med students, who want to organise for climate justice within the BMA, can get involved!
Whether or not you are coming to the BMA annual meeting, or are even a BMA member – you are warmly invited to this event if you want to see the BMA supporting a Green New Deal.
[Registration has now closed]

Patients Not Passports — New Joiners meeting September 2021
2021-09-09 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
The best way to get up to speed with the campaign and get connected with work going on across the country is to come to our next New Joiners meeting on Thursday 9th September. We’ll cover campaign strategy, hear from some of the groups working on the Patients Not Passports campaign, and explore the different ways you can get involved. We’re currently building towards a national day of action in October, so there’s lots to do!
? Register for the next New Joiners meeting – Thurs 9th September ?
Most of the Patients Not Passports work happens through locally focused campaign groups, with groups based in: Sheffield, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Brighton, Birmingham, Oxford; East, South, and South East London; Glasgow, and Wales. If you’re not in any of these places, don’t worry! Docs Not Cops and Medact’s Migrant Solidarity Group work nationally or we can support you to set up your own local group. You don’t need to work in healthcare to be involved! To win we’ll need everyone working together to oppose NHS charging and there is room for everyone in the campaign.
If you can’t make the next New Joiners meeting, don’t worry – there’ll be another one in a few months or we can make time for a quick phone call with you or connect you directly with your local group. If you have time, you could check out How NHS staff are fighting back against the ‘hostile environment’ for an overview of the campaign, or read Challenging Healthcare Charging in the NHS, a briefing that examines where the Hostile Environment policies came from, how they work, what their impact is, and what we can do about them.
? Register for the next New Joiners meeting – Thurs 9th September ?

Bearing Witness: Healthcare in Gaza - digital campaign launch
2021-09-13 18:00 - 20:30
Join us for the online launch of Hexitime’s ‘Bearing Witness’ campaign, a campaign connecting healthcare workers in the UK with their peers on the frontlines of political and humanitarian crises.
The campaign will provide a platform for healthcare workers to offer — or respond to someone’s request for — an hour of their time to listen to and seek to understand and appreciate the stories and experiences of healthcare workers on the frontlines of humanitarian disasters.
The initial phase focuses on Gaza in Palestine, and this event will be an informative introduction to the campaign and how to join.
We will be hearing from:

Mohammed Aghaalkurdi – Project Assistant on Medical Aid for Palestinians’ limb reconstruction programme
Dr Hesham Abdalla – Consultant paediatrician, director of medical education and quality improvement, and co-founder of Hexitime
John Lodge – NHS Head of Quality Improvement (London) and co-founder of Hexitime
William Nicholson – Programming and Partnerships Lead at the Health Foundry
Sally Becker – Founder and Chief Executive of Safe A Child – Global Paediatric Network

The free online event will take place on Monday 13 September at 6pm. Register to attend the event.

Climate Clinic briefing call
2021-09-13 19:00 - 20:00, 2021-09-27 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
In the run-up to our Health Action for the Green New Deal Bill, we will be running briefing calls on 13th and 27th September going over the process of setting up a Climate Clinic and how to have persuasive conversations with members of the public.
You can register for one or other call when you sign up to take part in the action.

Medact Sheffield Banner Making
2021-09-14 18:00 - 20:00 | U-mix Centre, 17 Asline Road, Lowfield, Sheffield, S2 4UJ, United Kingdom
On Tuesday 14th September 6-8pm we will be hosting a banner making session to make banners for the ? Justice for Simba Campaign’s Carnival of Resistance to the Hostile Environment ? .
Do come and join us — it would be lovely to meet any new faces; all levels of creativity for banner-making welcome! Drop us an email at sheffield@medact.org if you’re planning to come along.
We’ll be in the training and performance room at the U-mix Centre, 17 Asline Road, Lowfield, Sheffield, S2 4UJ.

What has the Climate Crisis got to do with our health?
2021-09-18 16:00 - 17:00 | Zoom
Medact Yorkshire are delighted to invite you to our online contribution to York Environment Week where we discuss ‘What has the Climate Crisis got to do with our Health?’.
We have three local health professionals who will talk about how health and climate interact; why we should take action now and examples of what we can all do to improve the natural world around us, reduce the worst effects of the climate crisis and improve the health of ourselves, our families and our communities.
[Registration has now closed]

Research Meeting: ‘Kill The Bill’
2021-09-20 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
The government has misleadingly branded the dangerous PCSC Bill a “public health approach” to combating serious violence. In response, we are putting together a briefing in support of the Kill The Bill movement, explaining why police-led enforcement is not the same as public health and why this Bill will actually harm health. This is our third project meeting.
We especially want to enable those from groups most affected by the Bill to contribute to this work but all are welcome.
For more info, contact office@medact.org.

NHS Borderlands Screening
2021-09-23 18:00 - 21:00 | Whirled Cinema, 259-260 Hardess Street, Loughborough Junction, London, SE24 0HN, United Kingdom
Join us for a screening of ‘NHS Borderlands’, an investigative documentary exploring the human cost of charging migrants for NHS care.
See full details and register on EventBrite

Research Meeting: Climate & Health
2021-09-23 19:30 - 21:00 | Zoom
The Climate Research Group are meeting to discuss work on updating our COP briefing ahead of November’s meeting in Glasgow.
For more info, contact office@medact.org

IPPNW Concert with Yo-Yo Ma
2021-09-25 23:59
Greater Boston PSR (GBPSR) and International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) are pleased to host our fourth annual event to address the twin existential threats of nuclear war and climate change. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the special event will be streamed live on-line, beginning at 7:00pm EST, on Saturday, September 25th, 2021.
This year’s event will honour the work of GBPSR and IPPNW co-founder Dr. Bernard Lown, who, together with Dr. Evgeny Chazov of the Soviet Union, accepted the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize on IPPNW’s behalf. The event will feature live music from world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma and chamber musicians from the Longwood Symphony Orchestra. Yo-Yo Ma personally knew and greatly admired and respected the work of Dr. Lown.
Register through EventBrite

Research Meeting: ‘Kill The Bill’
2021-09-27 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
The government has misleadingly branded the dangerous PCSC Bill a “public health approach” to combating serious violence. In response, we are putting together a briefing in support of the Kill The Bill movement, explaining why police-led enforcement is not the same as public health and why this Bill will actually harm health. This is our fourth project meeting.
We especially want to enable those from groups most affected by the Bill to contribute to this work but all are welcome. The meeting will take place online.
For more info, contact office@medact.

September Big Meeting — Health for a Green New Deal
2021-09-29 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
Join us for the September Big Meeting of the Health for a Green New Deal campaign! We’ll be hearing updates on what different groups across the network have been up to and how you can get involved.
After the August Movement Builder’s session on ‘what’s the deal with COP 26’, we’ll be discussing and planning together how we are organising and taking action during the COP 26 climate talks.
The meeting will be online on Zoom, starting at 19:00 – look forward to seeing you there.
[Registration has now closed]

Patients Not Passports Stall @ Haringey Welcome
2021-09-29 19:00 - 21:30 | Karamel Restaurant, 4 Coburg Road, London, N22 6UJ, United Kingdom
The Patients Not Passports campaign will be running a stall at next Haringey Welcome event on Wednesday 29 September 7-9.30pm at Karamel Restaurant, 4 Coburg Road, N22 6UJ.
The event will include a vegan meal and complementary drink, drama and music performances, readings from a migrant women’s writing group, a short film from our Haringey Covid Chronicles project, and an open mic section focusing on community projects and experiences across Haringey during the pandemic.
Register through EventBrite

Alternative Training on Prevent in Healthcare #3
2021-09-30 18:00 - 19:30 | Zoom
It is possible to create a society in which our collective safety and wellbeing are prioritised. Developing trusting, healthy relationships with all of our patients is essential to this work.
However, Prevent – with the government’s stated aim of identifying “vulnerability to radicalisation” – compromises all of this, and is a source of harm and increased marginalisation.
Why is the NHS the only healthcare system in the world with a legal obligation to engage with such a strategy? What aren’t you being told about Prevent in safeguarding training?
Join the third in our series of Alternative Trainings on Prevent online on Thursday 30th September at 6pm to learn more
This training will seek to shed light on some unanswered questions about Prevent. We will hear from:

Members of Medact’s Securitisation of Health Group
Farzana Khan ─ a writer, director, cultural producer and award-winning arts educator, Farzana is the Executive Director and Co-founder of Healing Justice London
More to be confirmed

This event is particularly aimed at people who work or are training in, study, or who have worked in health.
We are aware that some people may feel some concern or worry about attending the event. As such, we will be sending an email out to attendees prior to the event detailing how we will be seeking to make this event as safe and secure as possible.
[Registration has now closed]
