Medical students campaign for Jubilee 2000
UK medical students are being given the opportunity to join with
health professionals in support of the Jubilee campaign for cancellation
of the unpayable debts of the world's poorest countries. In the
run-up to the G8 Summit in Okinawa, Japan, in July, MedSIN is collaborating
with Medact and the British Medical Association in an event to celebrate
the millennial year.
Jubilee 2000 supporters include Luciano Pavarotti and U2's Bono
Thousands of medical students, doctors, and nurses are being asked
to sign patient identification wristbands to form a long chain that
will be presented to the prime minister. Postcards will also be
sent to the Japanese government, asking for debt relief to be on
the agenda when leaders of the world's richest nations meet for
the G8 Summit.
Already, 17 million people worldwide have signed Jubilee 2000 petitions,
including the Dalai Lama, the Pope, U2's Bono, and Luciano Pavarotti.
The campaign has been famous for mobilising tens of thousands of
supporters in enormous human chains in London, Birmingham, and Cologne.
Jubilee 2000's successes have been manifest already: the UK and
US governments have agreed to cancel 100% of the debts owed to their
countries. However politically significant this may be, Mike Rowson,
Medact's economic policy adviser, says that "in financial terms,
it still leaves the vast majority of debt untouched." Japan and
France are two of the biggest creditors, and a great deal of money
is also owed to the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
Jubilee 2000 stresses: "The G7 must now show their commitment to
the poorest people of the world by making debt cancellation a serious
item on the Okinawa agenda." Until these debts are cancelled, developing
world economies will still be crippled by the interest repayments
that Western governments demand.
Medical students have already been heavily involved in Jubilee
2000, driven by the impact of the debt burden on the health and
education of the world's poorest people. Through promoting ideas
of social justice and global awareness, MedSIN hopes that this campaign
will achieve further debt relief for the most vulnerable players
in the world economy.
MedSIN is the Medical Students' International Network (www.medsin.com).
Medact (www.medact.org)
is a health professionals' organisation lobbying on global health
issues. It is a member of the Jubilee 2000 Coalition (www.jubilee2000uk.org).
You can get involved in the Jubilee 2000 campaign by signing wristbands
and sending postcards to Japan in the run-up to the G8 summit. Further
information can be obtained from Mike Rowson at Medact: info@medact.org.
Sarah Finer, UCL, London
studentBMJ 2000;08:131-174 May ISSN 0966-6494
