MEDACT

Medact is an organisation of British health professionals concerned with nuclear proliferation and other problems of a global nature.

History

It was founded in 1992, by the merger of the Medical Association for the Prevention of War (founded by in 1951 by Richard Doll, Lionel Penrose and others as a medical lobby for peace) and the Medical Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons.

Medact describes itself as "a global health charity tackling issues at the centre of international policy debates...[undertaking] education, research and advocacy on the health implications of conflict, development and environmental change, with a special focus on the developing world."

Recent Work

Medact is affiliated to International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. Members have recently protested against the British replacement of the Trident system.[1]

Medact has been tracking the health impact of the war in Iraq.[2] They have issued a three reports and two shorter 'updates', have defended the Lancet surveys of casualties of the Iraq War and, as part of the Count the Casualties campaign have called for an independent investigation into increased mortality in Iraq.[3]

Medact has produced reports documenting the phenomenon of health worker migration from less economically developed nations to rich countries, which they describe as a "perverse subsidy".[4]

Medact also work on the health of refugees in the UK, in particular documenting and challenging barriers to healthcare.

Medact have been involved in the Global Health Watch, a civil society project aiming to produce alternative versions of the World Health Organisation's annual World Health Report.[5]

See also

• Médecins Sans Frontières

External links

• Medact