Vector Issue 4 - 2007

Jacqui McDonnell
“Mala is an 18-year-old Eritrean
refugee. She was fleeing civil war in
Eritrea by crossing the border into
Sudan when the truck she was in hit
an anti-vehicle mine. The 17 other
people on the truck were killed and
she suffered severe injuries including
loosing both her legs and her
right eye. Many vehicles containing
refugees were destroyed in the same
manner. Malaʼs future is bleak. She
sits in a hut living on hand-outs with
what is left of her family and is the
subject of public scorn and ridicule”.
Disability and poverty work together
in a vicious cycle that escalates
marginalisation and insecurity in
developing communities. People
with disabilities are among the poorest
of disadvantaged communities,
while people living in poverty are
at a greater risk of attaining a disability.
The United Nations estimates
that 600 million people worldwide
have a disability, seventy percent of
which live in developing communities.
Research by UNICEF has found
that 150 million children living with
disabilities lack access to essential
services and have limited interactions
with their peers. Often people with
disabilities remain poor as they are
denied the opportunities most basic
and crucial to human development
- education, income, and self worth.
vector
Mae
ISSUE 4, JULY 2007
poverty
and
disability
ed costs of disabilities in the develop-
Continued page 4
abilities.
“Poor people are disproportionately disabled, and people with disabilities are disproportionately poor”
Robert Holzmann, Director of World Bankʼs Social Protection Department, 2001.
ing world can be greatly reduced.
To achieve the aims of the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs)
through halving absolute poverty by
2015 we need to consider the rights
and needs of persons with disabilities,
while simultaneously preventing
the many causes of disabilities. Many
medical student-run organisations already
manage programmes inclusive
of people with disabilities. Find out
more from your Developing World
Group or any other government or
NGO you support. You should find
out if they have a disability policy.
Are the healthcare, education, water
and sanitation, vocational training,
income generation programs, buildings
and everything else they provide
fully accessible to people with
disabilities? Does your group have
access to practical information that
can help make their programs disability
inclusive (see the ʻLinks and
Resourcesʼ section in this issue)? It is
imperative that we all recognise that
we cannot ʻMake Poverty Historyʼ
without including people with dis-
Tao Clinic School Health Program p 2
News review p 3
IHN update p 3
Links and resources p 4
Dr Sujit & the Calcutta Village Project p 4
Vector prizes for prose competition p 4
Confessions of an Economic Hit
Man, by John Perkins
Book Review by Dr Kathryn Loon
“I basically get paid to shift huge amounts
of money between international bank accounts
to avoid paying tax,” said Steve,
one of the residents, who was regaling us
with tales of his job-on-the-side during an
unusually quiet evening shift in the Emergency
Department. Head swirling with fantasies
of a life less ordinary as a high-flying
merchant banker, itʼs no surprise that in the
library some days later, my attention was
immediately drawn to the title, Confessions
of an Economic Hit Man.
What lies behind the cover is a riveting autobiographical
account of John Perkinsʼ life
as an “economic hit-man”, or more plainly,
a professional paid to convince countries of
strategic importance to the U.S. to accept
massive loans for infrastructure and development
– with the unspoken intention that
they will subsequently become ensnared in
a web of debt ensuring their loyalty to the
U.S. global empire, or “corporatocoracy,”
as Perkins repeatedly refers to it.
The book is a revelation, weaving together
themes of globalisation, economics, deception,
corruption and intrigue. A personal
reflection on his international travels and
experiences in places as far-flung as Indonesia,
Panama and Saudi Arabia, it elucidates
the forces behind many recent historical
events as well as the part he, and others like
him, played in creating the world we live in
today.
But far from being a glib rundown of economic
theory or a disinterested critique of
globalisation, Confessions of an Economic
Hit Man is a fascinating character study
detailing the anatomy of Perkinsʼ personal
descent from volunteering with the Peace
Corps in Ecuador to becoming an Economic
Hit-Man in a seductive world of duplicity,
money, elitism and ruthlessness. The
governmental lie that “economic progress”
is good and a global empire is desirable
become driven by greed and complicity,
as does Perkins himself. Remarkably, the
pivotal factor in his downfall is not a lack
or loss of moral sense but rather his self-
Fifty percent of disabilities are preventable
and poverty-related. These
include disabilities due to: malnutrition
and limited access to vaccination
programmes, poor hygiene, limited
maternal care, dangerous working
and living conditions and war and
conflict. It is accordingly imperative
to improve the overall living conditions
of people living in poverty to
improve their health outcomes. By
upscaling poverty prevention interventions
together with the improvement
of treatment and rehabilitation
programs, the incidence and associat-

page 2
Mae Tao Clinic School Health Program
Ying Ying Liew
In December 2006 I decided to
volunteer as a medical student for a
month in Mae Tao clinic in Northern
Thailand. It is a clinic founded by a
Karen refugee, Dr Cynthia Maung
who fled Burma after the 1988
student uprising. For almost 20 years
now, this clinic has been providing
much needed free health care services
for displaced people on the Thai-
Burma border. As a consequence of
nearly 50 years of rule by military
dictatorship and civil war, hundreds
and thousands of people from Burma
especially those living close to the
border have been victims of forced
relocation, which has led many to
flee into nearby jungle or neighbouring
countries like Thailand for
refuge. The Mae Tao clinic is mainly
run by ethnic minoritiesʼ refugees
and the health workers are locally
Medics providing health education
trained by the clinic to cope with the
most commonly encountered illnesses.
I was impressed to find that
community health constitutes a large
part of the clinicʼs activities which
includes a very important School
Health Program.
This initiative provides preventative
health care to migrant school
children via simple measures such as
vision screening, vitamin A supplementation,
height and weight checks
as well as health education. One
of the schools which left an indelible
mark on me was Kaung Myat
Parayan Yeik Mon. It is a wooden
hut in the midst of dry, barren paddy
fields, built close to the homes of the
local Burmese migrants. The majority
of the migrants are employed as
low-paid labourers in the neighbouring
Thai owned farms. Conveniently
they are able to leave their children
at the school, while both parents toil
the fields all day. Many similar
schools have been built in response
to the influx of refugees
from Burma, and the large proportion
of children. These schools
are sponsored by non-governmental
organisations or private
donors, aiming to provide basic
education to many children who
may not have the opportunity to
go to school at all in Burma.
There is no free public education,
and many have to pay more than
they can afford to obtain an education.
The ruling military junta
spends less than 3% of the national
expenditure on health and 10% on
education, while more than 40% of
it goes towards military projects (to
put this in context Australia spends
only 2.5% of its GDP on military
expenditures).
Schools built locally
by provincial villages
are constantly under
threat by the junta.
This is due to longstanding
conflicts
between the junta and
the ethnic minority resistance
groups living
along the Thai-Burma
border. To increase
Burmese army control
over the local population
the junta employs
a counter-insurgency
strategy known as
the Four-Cuts Policy
which cuts crucial
links (food, funds, recruits and information)
between villagers and the
resistance groups. Initially villagers
are given one weekʼs notice to leave
their homes voluntarily. After this
period lapses, troops loot the village,
destroying all buildings, crops, and
stores of food to prevent villagers
from returning. Accompanying such
forced relocations are manifold atrocities
involving executions, forced
labour, systematic rape, wholesale
destruction of village, crops and
confiscation of land. In essence, the
children are not safe and sustainable
education is more often than not but
a luxury.
For the children at Kaung Myat Parayan
Yeik Mon the medics provided
a health talk while I distributed the
Burmese health magazines specifically
designed for school-aged
children. It struck me then that what
I was handing out was perhaps one
Ersatz blackboard
of the few books these children have
ever seen. The caretaker had mentioned,
basic resources were few and
far between. There was no stationery
or books. Even the blackboard
(the main teaching aid) was only a
makeshift piece shift paper tacked to
the wall. Many of the children had
no proper footwear and trauma to the
fingers, toes and skin was common.
The school doctor and I treated the
childrenʼs minor wounds and injuries
using the basic and limited supplies
from the clinic.
At the end of the day we bade our
goodbyes as they looked on from the
front gate. The School Health team
returned to Mae Tao clinic to document
their findings, in hope that for
the next visit, they will be able to
bring in the necessities to help fill
the gap between mere survival and a
healthy, fulfilling life.
I have donated some pencils, color
pencils, notebooks, clothing items
and soft toys via Mae Tao clinic to
this school upon returning home.
To find out more or to become involved,
contact Naw Eh Thwa:
(win6@loxinfo.co.th) or visit http://
burmachildren.com/index.php/home

News Review
Jacqui McDonnell
Patents Before People
Five years ago Novartis took the South African Government to court , in an effort
to overturn the countryʼs medicine act which was designed to ensure the equitable
supply of affordable drugs to those in need. Novartis is now waging a similar war
in India, where many generic drugs are produced and then supplied to developing
countries. This includes more than half of the anti-retroviral drugs used in developing
communities in the fight against AIDS.
If the company wins its case, millions of people will no longer have access to affordable
medicines. To find out more, visit www.msf.org/petition_india/australia.
html
Picture care of www.oxfamunwrapped.com.au
PM now spouts HIV discrimination
From the man who believes ʻGlobal Warmingʼ to be an urban myth, he now seems to have been incurably infected by
foot-in-mouth disease . Prime Minister John Howard has been quoted as saying that refugees who are HIV positive
will be refused entry into Australia, thus condemning many to a certain death. The full story at http://www.smh.com.
au/news/national/ban-hivpositive-migrants-pm/2007/04/13/1175971314887.html
Tribal Dances and Bed Nets
We all saw US President Bush doing the tribal dance last month as part of the promotion of mosquito repellent bed
nets for malaria infested areas of Africa, but is this another unsustainable project? We hope not. Find out more at
http://allafrica.com/stories/200704251016.html and http://allafrica.com/stories/200704260910.html or to give a gift
of a much needed mosquito net to an internally displaced family in Sudan visit: http://www.oxfamunwrapped.com.
au/Product.php?productid=43
Protesting for Peace
According to the UN the ongoing conflict in Sudan has caused more than 200,000 deaths and led to two million
people being displaced. The Sudanese government contests the figures, saying that only 9,000 have died. Last
month saw protests take place in 30 countries around the world demanding that world leaders act to prevent further
bloodshed in Darfur. To find out more about the protests visit http://www.worldnewsaustralia.com.au/region.
php?id=136639&region=5 To find out what you can do go to for the Sudanese people have a look at http://home.
vicnet.net.au/~sail/ and http://www.darfuraustralia.org/
IHN Update
Fred Hersch
The future for international health
in Australia is bright and interest in
International Health issues amongst
Australian medical students is growing.
Recently, we have identified a
number of challenges and are currently
developing plans for the future
of the IHN to ensure that International
Health opportunities are available
for all medical students.
There are plenty of interesting international
projects and huge opportunities
for Australian students to become
involved with. The recently held
IFMSA GA (MM2007) in Mandurah
was a wonderful showcase of what is
out there on the international scene.
Opportunities
International projects
Through connections with the IFM-
SA, there are many opportunities for
involvement in International projects.
One such example is the Calcutta
Village Project and there are many
more. The AMSA IHN will be working
with IHGs throughout Australia
to ensure Australian medical students
know the exciting prospects awaiting
them.
Supporting new projects
Australian medical students wishing
to develop new projects will have
the opportunity of applying for seed
funding. This is an initiative being
supported by AMSA and we believe
it will encourage more local projects.
Project selection will be based on
criteria developed by the AMSA IHN
in consultation with professionals
and academics.
Advocacy
There are a number of international
health issues that students are passionate
about. A new focus for the
AMSA IHN will be about identifying
issues important to Australian Medical
Students and representing these
issues through AMSA.
Challenges
Improving Networking
Australia suffers from the ʻtyranny
of distanceʼ. This year, the AMSA
IHN will work towards addressing
this. Obviously we cannot change
the map, but we can look at ways of
utilising technology, structuring the
committee and facilitating more faceto-face
meetings.
Consultation with students
As we continue to build the network
between medical schools, we need to
remain focused on ensuring that communication
with medical students
remains strong. This is a multi-way
medium and it is through working
with the International Health Groups
(IHG) that this will be achieved.
What can you do?
Join up with your local International
Health Group and get involved in
working towards supporting International
Health in Australia.
To find your local group, go to
www.ihealthnet.net/healthgroups
page 3

Links and Resources
Jacqui McDonnell
For more information on Disabilities
and Developing Communities check
out:
Asian Development Bank: website
includes workshops, studies and
guidelines for disabilities in developing
countries.
www.adb.org/socialprotection/
disability.asp
The Australian Disability and Development
Consortium (ADDC): an
Australian network focusing their
attention, expertise and action on disability
issues in developing countries
whilst building a national platform
for disability advocacy.
www.addc.org.au/
Christian Blind Mission International:
centres their work around medical
care in developing communities, preventing
and curing blindness, as well
as the rehabilitation and training and
integration of people who are blind
or have other disabilities.
www.cbmi.org.au or www.cbmi.org
Department for International Development
UK: website includes a great
handbook - Disability, Poverty and
Development suggesting good practices
and areas of action. www.dfid.
gov.uk/Pubs/files/disability.pdf
Source: an international information
support centre designed to strengthen
the management, use and impact of
information on health and disability.
www.asksource.info
United Nations: website includes
resources, policy guidelines and
information on the rights of persons
with disabilities. www.un.org/esa/
socdev/enable/
World Bank: website highlights
current News Events and discussion
papers on people with disabilities.
www.worldbank.org/disability
Dr Sujit and the Calcutta Village Project
Fred Hersch
In March/April 2007, AMSA and the AMSA IHN brought Dr Sujit of the Calcutta
Village Project to students across Australia. Dr Sujit inspired students
throughout the country with his incredible story of setting up the Calcutta
Village Project in Rural India. Otherwise known as the India Institute for
Mother and Child (IIMC), this has been the focus of Dr Sujitʼs work for over
20 years. From humble beginnings of treating 20 children a day, Dr Sujitʼs
Calcutta Village Project now treats 5,000 children a month and undoubtedly
benefits thousands more.
Dr Sujitʼs experiences were an amazing opportunity to look beyond the
provision of medical services and into the broader issues of development and
the vicous cycle of poverty-ill health-and poverty. Identifying that medical
intervention was ineffective in helping his people out of poverty, Dr Sujit
embarked upon addressing the factors robbing children of opportunities to
a future without poverty, hunger, education, literacy and economic development.
Together with the IFMSA and medical students, Dr Sujit has been able to
not only provide basic medical management, but also to build schools and
organise remote clinics and immunisation programs for thousands of children
and adults alike.
Dr Sujit is a truly remarkable man, and all of those that saw him would agree
it was an inspirational evening.
The Dr Sujit tour was facilitated successfully though the AMSA IHN with
various International Health groups hosting Dr Sujit on various legs of the
journey. It would not have been possible without AMSA. .
If you missed out on this amazing speaker and would like to hear his presentation,
it is now available from the globalHOME website (University of
Sydney) at http://globalhome.redbrick.com.au/wp/2007/04/18/drsujit/
Vector prizes for prose competition!
Karl Ruhl
Congratulations to the student contributers for this issue of Vector, all of
whom have been sent sensational books from Wakefield Press about medics
who have each in their own way made a difference in the lives of many in
disadvantaged communities.
So if you are a medical student studying in Australia and have something interesting
to say about international health, submit your pieces of writing (600
word limit) to vectormag@gmail.com today and win!
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man review, continued from page 1
deceit.
Perkinsʼ compellingly honest description of the situations, events and emotions
that he experienced necessitates that we as readers scrutinise our own
lives and motivations as well as our roles in furthering the injustices of the
corporatocoracy. This disturbing and insightful glimpse into economic
imperialism will leave you no choice but to act.
Vector is the magazine of the AMSA International Health Network
page 4
Chief Editor: Sunita DeSousa
Layout: Karl Ruhl
Page 1 photo: Hamish Graham
Early Intervention by: Evelyne Jacq, Tanzania,
CBM
Send your letters, articles and feedback to vectormag@gmail.com!