Global Health Watch 4 - People's Health Movement

The Global Health Watch, now in its fourth edition, is perceived widely as the definitive voice for an alternative discourse on health. It integrates rigorous analysis, alternative proposals and stories of struggles and change to present a compelling case for the imperative to work for a radical transformation of the way we approach actions and policies on health. It was conceived in 2003 as a collaborative effort by activists and academics from across the world, and is designed to question present policies on health and to propose alternatives. Global Health Watch 4 has been coordinated by six civil society organizations
– the People’s Health Movement, ALAMES, Health Action International, Medico International, Third World Network and Medact.

Global Health Watch 4, like the preceding volumes published in 2005, 2008 and 2011, provides analysis of contemporary issues that impact on health. It provides policy analysis, debates technical issues, and provides perspectives on current global processes. The GHW does not limit itself to the ‘health sector’ but extends its scrutiny to all those areas that determine whether people are able to live healthy and fulfilling lives. We hope the contents will be of use to a wide range of readers – activists, academics, developmental agencies and policy-makers.Global Health Watch 4 provides information and analysis, but it also takes sides. The analysis and alternatives that we present are embodied in a vision of a society that is more just, more equal and more humane. Many of the stories that we include inspire hope that change can happen, and is actually happening in many parts of the world.

As in the case of the previous editions, the contents of Global Health Watch 4 are divided into five interlinked sections. The section on the ‘The Global political and economic architecture’ locates the decisions and choices that impact on health in the present structure of global power relations and economic governance. The section ‘Health systems: current issues and debates’ looks at contemporary debates on health systems in different parts of the world, to draw appropriate lessons and propose concrete actions. The third section, ‘Beyond healthcare’, engages with multiple social and structural determinants of health. The section on ‘Watching’ scrutinizes global processes and institutions which have significant impact on global health. The final section foregrounds stories of action and resistance, from different parts of the world.