<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:st1="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 11 (filtered medium)">
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="City"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="place"/>
<!--[if !mso]>
<style>
st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }
</style>
<![endif]-->
<style>
<!--
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:Arial;
color:windowtext;}
span.EmailStyle18
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:Arial;
color:navy;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:.8in .8in .7in .8in;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
</head>
<body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple>
<div class=Section1>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Salvadoran
Right Take Steps to Privatize Health Care System<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>CISPES
Emergency Update<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>October
25, 2007<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>On October 22, right<font color=navy><span style='color:navy'>-</span></font>wing
party deputies in the Health and Environmental Commission of the Salvadoran Legislative
Assembly hastily approved the National Health System law, a proposal created by
the administration of former Salvadoran President Francisco Flores that was
recently presented to the Commission. The leftist FMLN party walked out
of the commission meeting to protest the quick vote before sufficient debate
and assessments of the effects of law have been made. The law can now be
voted on by the entire Legislative plenary on October 25. It will likely
pass with the 43 votes necessary given that the ARENA and PCN parties have
agreed to vote in favor of it.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>The Citizens Alliance against Privatization, a coalition of social
movement organizations, has joined with the FMLN in ardently rejecting the law.
According to the Alliance – which includes the STISSS health care
workers unions, the SIMETRISS doctors union, and the SIGESAL public hospital
association, among others – the reforms would open the way for the
privatization of the national health system, which would in turn leave the
majority of the Salvadoran population without access to health care. There has
been organizing and mobilizing at the national level by the social movement and
the FMLN to prevent this law from being approved, and a big rally and march has
been called for today (October 25), with thousands expected to descend on the
Legislative Assembly to demand that deputies not ratify the law.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Leaders of the Citizens Alliance have denounced the Assembly’s commission,
saying that proposals by civil society were ignored. According to Margarita
Posada of the <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Alliance</st1:place></st1:City>,
“our proposal envisions the creation of a system which is completely
public, while the approved resolution would bring us closer to a privatized
system.” Meanwhile, President Saca and his government have
attempted to eliminate popular opposition to privatization measures through
repression – such as the arrest of 8 SIGESAL members last month –
and sneaky political maneuvers like Monday’s hasty commission vote. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Social movement organizations have called for international solidarity
in the case of government repression against the anti-privatization protesters.
In the coming days CISPES will continue to monitor the situation and prepare to
send an alert calling on activists to</span></font><span lang=EN-GB> add their
voices to the demands of the Salvadoran people to have access to health care as
is defined in the Salvadoran Constitution. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span lang=EN-GB
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-GB
style='font-size:12.0pt'>More information at <font color=navy><span
style='color:navy'><a href="http://www.cispes.org/">www.cispes.org</a> </span></font><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-GB
style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>