China’s health officials look to U.S. health insurance capitalists

By Charles Andrews

U.S. and Chinese capitalism are heading to war over which power will dominate the exploitation of the world’s working people. But this antagonism does not prevent the capitalists of both countries cooperating to suck the blood of Chinese and U.S. workers.

Take the business of healthcare, for example. The American Chamber of Commerce in China brought a group of China’s health officials to the U.S. The purpose? To sell them on the profits to be made out of the Medicare Advantage ripoff.

The pandemic revealed the bankruptcy of capitalism

On 15/6, the Health–Welfare Section of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) presented its new publication under the title “COVID-19 pandemic: Capitalism in its twilight”. Workers in the Health–Welfare and other sectors, young people, and students flooded the park next to the largest hospital in the country, “Evangelismos”, where the book presentation took place. Among them were many vanguard trade unionists who work in public hospitals and who, for the past two years, under the extremely difficult conditions of the pandemic, have been at the forefront of the struggle to defend people’s health. 

European Communist Initiative: "Capitalism is responsible for Covid pandemic casualties"

In a statement, the Secretariat of the Initiative of Communist and Workers' Parties (European Communist Initiative) stresses out:

The Covid-19, which was first detected in late 2019 and declared as a worldwide pandemic in March 2020, has been going on for almost two years. During this period, 271 million people were infected, and more than 5 million people died due to Covid-19. The vast majority of deaths have been in the United States, which has the most market-oriented healthcare system in the world; however, “developed” European countries with big economies also lead the ranking of deaths.

Greece: KKE slams Mitsotakis government's criminal handing of the pandemic

The Communist Party of Greece (KKE) has sharply criticised the policy of New Democracy government over Covid-19 pandemic, including the low vaccination rate and the dramatic situation in the public Health System.

In a comment issued on Thursday, the Press Bureau of the CC of the KKE points out:

“Instead of pointing their finger, the government and the Minister of Health should answer the critical questions:  

Russia: Police attacks Communist Party rally in Moscow

Photo: kommersant.ru

Following a call by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) for a rally in Moscow on Saturday, around a thousand people gathered at the capital's Pushkinskaya Square. 

The reason for the demonstration was the decision of the Moscow authorities, according to which mandatory vaccination quotas are prescribed in the healthcare, transport and other sectors and if these are not met, companies can fire their non-vaccinated employees. 

According to the CPRF this as an unconstitutional requirement at the expense of the workers.

COVID Vaccines: Communist Parties say "No" to patents

On the issue of the patent for the COVID-19 vaccines, more than 60 Communist and Workers' Parties have issued the following statement:

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a great tragedy for more than a year now. In this period, in many countries, millions of workers have caught the disease, losing their health, their jobs or even their lives. On the other hand, in the same time frame, some companies that have sold the essential needs food, hygienic materials, masks and finally, vaccines, as commodities, have become among the wealthiest in the world. The capitalist class has turned the pandemic into an opportunity for greater exploitation of workers in order to make more profits. 

India: Communist Party leader Sitaram Yechury urges PM Modi to take urgent action as Covid crisis deepens

India's healthcare system is buckling as a record surge in Covid-19 cases puts pressure on hospital beds and drains oxygen supplies. According to international reports, families are left pleading for their relatives who are desperately ill, with some patients left untreated for hours.

Crematoriums are organising mass funeral pyres. On Friday 24 April India reported 332,730 new cases of coronavirus, setting a world record for a second day running. Deaths were numbered at 2,263 in 24 hours. 

Requisition of private health sector, mass hirings in public hospitals are necessary, says KKE leader Koutsoumbas

Mass hiring in public hospitals, the immediate requisition of the private health sector and the inclusion of healthcare personnel in the arduous and hazardous jobs social insurance category are the measures that are necessary today, pointed out the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Dimitris Koutsoumbas during a visit today, World Health Day, in Evangelismos hospital in Athens.

A YEAR OF CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC — JOINT STATEMENT BY COMMUNIST AND WORKERS' PARTIES

A year after the outbreak of the Coronavirus Pandemic, Communist and Workers' Parties from all over the world issued a statement assessing the current situation and pledge to continue the struggle for public, free and universal healthcare services, as well as for protection of the workers-people's democratic rights. 

 

The statement, among others, underline the fact that the pandemic has highlighted the necessity of Socialism which can put the contemporary scientific and technological potential at the service of the people's needs. 

The full statement is as follows:

Free and safe vaccination must be ensured for all people! — Statement by the European Communist Initiative

In a statement the Secretariat of the European Communist Initiative demands free and safe vaccination for all the people of the world. The Initiative condemns the anti-vaccine rationality and unscientific theories, pointing out that the capitalist profit and monopolistic competition criteria, which delay the supply of necessary anti-Covid 19 vaccines, have become obstacles to the people in Europe and the world.

From "heroes" to "villains"... Greek government persecutes healthcare unionists for their political activity

A year before, Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and members of his government were praising doctors, the “health heroes” as they called them, for their fight against the Coronavirus pandemic. The government had even urged the people to show their appreciation to the country's healthcare workers by applauding them from their balconies. 

Greek government escalates oppression, intimidation and prosecutions against the workers struggles

Statement by the All-Workers Militant Front (PAME) concerning the latest anti-people, anti-worker policies initiated, amidst the pandemic, by the conservative New Democracy (ND) government:

 “…Because for me,the most surprising,
the most imposing, the most mysterious and grandiose
Is a man not allowed to walk;
A man who’s being shackled”

- Nazim Hikmet.

With the “demonstrations’ management” plan, the Greek government is running to prevent the popular anger and outrage that is piling up and growing.

KKE: Capitalism is the actual and visible virus!

Coronavirus vaccine supply has become a critical issue as nations seek to stem high infection rates. Last week, AstraZeneca told the EU it was falling behind on its supply target because of production problems. U.S. pharmaceutical Pfizer/Biontech proceeded to temporary cut deliveries while cases in many European countries surge. 

 

From its side, the European Union warned it will tighten exports of Covid vaccines produced in the bloc. Competitions, delays, exports' restrictions, business profits are putting people's health into risk. 

Is the Covid vaccine a "triumph of capitalism"?

 By Nikos Mottas.

One of the many myths that have been spread by bourgeois media during this period is that the Covid-19 vaccine consists a “victory” or a “triumph” of capitalism. In fact, they are trying to convince us that the – without doubt significant - progress made by large biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies in the fight against Coronavirus is an achievement of the capitalist system. 

This is simply not true. 

WHY does the EU refuse to disclose COVID-19 vaccine contracts with pharmaceutical companies?

The European Union has officially declined to disclose the contracts with the pharmaceutical companies over the COVID-19 vaccines thus violating the right of the people to full transparency about issues directly related with their safety and health.

As 902 portal reported, the EU Parliament group of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) raised the issue during the discussion for “EU's vaccination strategy against COVID-19” in the Parliament's Plenary. In his intervention, KKE MEP Kostas Papadakis asked from the Commission to publish the contracts between the EU and Pharmaceutical industries concerning the COVID-19 vaccines. 

Greek communist MP asks to be relieved of Parliament duties in order to serve as a doctor against the pandemic

Communist Party of Greece (KKE) MP and pulmonologist Giorgos Lambroulis asked Parliament to temporarily relieve him from his duties as one of eight vice presidents of the body, so that he may help out his region Larissa, central Greece, in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a letter to President Konstantinos Tasoulas released Monday, Lambroulis, a doctor in the National Health System (ESY), criticized Greek governments for ignoring chronic shortages in the health sector, and called on fellow-MPs who are doctors to follow his example. "My place is with my fellow doctors and nursing staff that are fighting under adverse conditions to care for the people, in the public health sector of Larissa," he said.

Youth in Survival Against Pandemic and Capitalism: SOCIALISM or BARBARISM

Twenty European Communist Youth Organizations have gathered on the 103rd anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution at the “Online Meeting of European Communist Youth Organizations to Share Experiences” and exchanged their experiences about the struggle of the youth during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, working people all around the world are envisaging numerous attacks against their rights. Their right to healthcare is getting vandalized by capitalist governments who are promoting private health industry instead of public healthcare. 

KKE MEP Nikolaou-Alavanos: "EU and bourgeois governments defend healthcare's commercialization against people's needs"

The Communist Party of Greece (KKE) MEP Lefteris Nikolaou-Alavanos addressed the plenary session of the European Parliament in the debate on the "Programme for the Union’s action in the field of Health for the period 2021-2027 - EU4Health".

This program seeks to legitimize the inadequacy of public health systems that was proved painfully in the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and is even more dramatically confirmed in the second. It lays down, among other, the air transportation of doctors from one country with a disintegrated public health system "of one disease" to another, perpetuating the patch of gaps, opening others, while in each case the private health groups are growing richer, destroying the people's income.

Hanna Gharib: The socialist ideology has succeeded in the battle against Covid-19, whereas capitalism failed

"The socialist ideology had succeeded in the battle against COVID-19, whereas capitalist-oriented countries had failed. This pandemic had explicitly showed the greedy side of the capitalist system", was the message conveyed by Hanna Gharib, General Secretary of the Lebanese Communist Party, during the online lecture “Socialism and Capitalism in post-COVID-19 era”, organized by the Chinese Communist Party, in partnership with Arab Leftist Parties. 

Hanna Gharib referred on how states like China, Cuba and Vietnam succeeded against the COVID-19 pandemic, in sharp contrast with the failure of most capitalist states to protect their people. (Read here his speech)

Lockdown capitalist policies! KKE slams Greek government's handling of the pandemic

Since November 7th Greece has entered a second nationwide lockdown, following a decision by the conservative New Democracy (ND) government. The lockdown is accompanied by tough penalties for violations of the quarantine and non-observance of social distancing. 

Alongside the lockdown, as the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) mentions, the government has committed crimes against the people's health and safety in order to serve the interests of the capital in a number of industry branches.