PRAGOTI

It is possible today to voice a proposal to take the idea of primary health care, stated in the bold language of the Alma Ata declaration 30 years ago, forward and work towards making it a reality. Health activist Dr. Binayak Sen writes from prison for a special issue in the Economic and Political Weekly on the 30th anniversary of the Alma Ata declaration which envisaged a promise of "Health for All" in 1978. Binayak Sen also writes,

"Writing from jail, I did not have access to books and journals. This accounts for the disjointed state of some of the arguments. None of this is necessarily original or new. This article is based on earlier readings, as well as valued discussions with many friends and colleagues in Rupantar, Jan Swasthya Sahayog, the People’s Union for Civil Liberties, Shaheed Hospital, Medico Friend Circle, Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, and the National Alliance of People’s Movements. The usual disclaimers apply."

Binayak Sen, a paediatrician, public health professional and national vice-president of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties, is the recipient of the tenth annual Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights.