Health is a Fundamental Right - A Letter

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Throughout the last year and a half, the Covid-19 pandemic has affected widely the everyday life of people all over the world, resulting in the mandatory adaptation of all of us to this new reality. Currently, the vaccination process of the general population is the most important tool we possess in order to deal with the pandemic and constitutes the main way out of the health crisis. All of us must have access to this essential tool regardless of identity, race, ethnicity. Regardless of origin and legal status.

The health crisis has affected us all indiscriminately, however, it has mainly affected the most vulnerable groups, asylum seekers, refugees, migrants and most importantly, people without legal documents. The latter is the most vulnerable group of people, as they do not have the ability to register online for the process of vaccination and so far there is no provision for their vaccination. This situation constitutes an urgent need of finding a solution for this vulnerable group since the issue of public health concerns us all in the context of the protection and the preservation of human life.

Everyone should gain access to the vaccination process. At this given moment, the aforementioned social groups are facing serious problems regarding the vaccination process and at the same time, shortcomings concerning the information given to them about the necessity as well as the possibility for them to get vaccinated are identified.

This is the reason why we propose the conduct and execution of a targeted information campaign aiming at the refugee and migrant population, in which we should state our support and availability. The way out of the pandemic can only become possible by our common will and the inclusion of all of us.

We demand immediate and all-inclusive access to the vaccination process for all social groups without exception, especially for the most vulnerable ones. Health is a fundamental right for everyone, which entails that an organized and coordinated State is obliged to perpetually defend and secure it.

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DATE
Tuesday, June 8, 2021
To
Deputy Minister of Health, Mr. Vassilis Kontozamanis, Secretary General of Primary Health Care, Mr. Marios Themistokleous Chairman of the National Vaccination Committee, Ms. Maria Theodoridou
Subject
Health is a fundamental right — Immediate access to the vaccination process for undocumented people

Throughout the last year and a half, the Covid-19 pandemic has affected widely the everyday life of people all over the world, resulting in the mandatory adaptation of all of us to this new reality. Currently, the vaccination process of the general population is the most important tool we possess in order to deal with the pandemic and constitutes the main way out of the health crisis. All of us must have access to this essential tool regardless of identity, race, ethnicity. Regardless of origin and legal status.

The health crisis has affected us all indiscriminately, however, it has mainly affected the most vulnerable groups, asylum seekers, refugees, migrants and most importantly, people without legal documents. The latter is the most vulnerable group of people, as they do not have the ability to register online for the process of vaccination and so far there is no provision for their vaccination. This situation constitutes an urgent need of finding a solution for this vulnerable group since the issue of public health concerns us all in the context of the protection and the preservation of human life.

Everyone should gain access to the vaccination process. At this given moment, the aforementioned social groups are facing serious problems regarding the vaccination process and at the same time, shortcomings concerning the information given to them about the necessity as well as the possibility for them to get vaccinated are identified.

This is the reason why we propose the conduct and execution of a targeted information campaign aiming at the refugee and migrant population, in which we should state our support and availability. The way out of the pandemic can only become possible by our common will and the inclusion of all of us.

We demand immediate and all-inclusive access to the vaccination process for all social groups without exception, especially for the most vulnerable ones. Health is a fundamental right for everyone, which entails that an organized and coordinated State is obliged to perpetually defend and secure it.

  • ActionAid
  • Action for Education
  • ARSIS – Association for the Social Support of Youth
  • Babel Day Center/ Κέντρο Ημέρας Βαβέλ
  • Danish Refugee Council DRC
  • DIOTIMA
  • ECHO100PLUS
  • Equal Rights Beyond Borders
  • Europe Must Act
  • Fenix - Humanitarian Legal Aid
  • Generation 2.0 RED
  • Greek Association of People Living with HIV "Positive Voice" / Θετική Φωνή
  • Greek Council of Refugees
  • Hellenic League for Human Rights (HLHR)
  • HIAS Greece
  • HumanRights360
  • International Rescue Committee (IRC)
  • INTERSOS
  • INTERSOS Hellas
  • Irida Women's Center
  • Jesuit Refugee Service Greece (JRS Greece)/ Υπηρεσία των Ιησουιτών για τους πρόσφυγες
  • Lesvos Solidarity
  • Médecins du Monde - Greece/ ΓΙΑΤΡΟΙ ΤΟΥ ΚΟΣΜΟΥ- ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΑΝΤΙΠΡΟΣΩΠΕΙΑ
  • Mobile Info Team
  • Network for Children's Rights/ Δίκτυο για τα δικαιώματα του παιδιού 26.Odyssea
  • PRAKSIS
  • Refugee Rights Europe (RRE)
  • Solidarity Now
  • Symbiosis-School of Political Studies, Council of Europe Network / Συμβίωση-Σχολή πολιτικών σπουδών στην Ελλάδα, Δίκτυο Συμβουλίου της Ευρώπης

Co-signed by

  • ActionAid
  • Action for Education
  • ARSIS – Association for the Social Support of Youth
  • Babel Day Center/ Κέντρο Ημέρας Βαβέλ
  • Danish Refugee Council DRC
  • DIOTIMA
  • ECHO100PLUS
  • Equal Rights Beyond Borders
  • Europe Must Act
  • Fenix - Humanitarian Legal Aid
  • Generation 2.0 RED
  • Greek Association of People Living with HIV "Positive Voice" / Θετική Φωνή
  • Greek Council of Refugees
  • Hellenic League for Human Rights (HLHR)
  • HIAS Greece
  • HumanRights360
  • International Rescue Committee (IRC)
  • INTERSOS
  • INTERSOS Hellas
  • Irida Women's Center
  • Jesuit Refugee Service Greece (JRS Greece)/ Υπηρεσία των Ιησουιτών για τους πρόσφυγες
  • Lesvos Solidarity
  • Médecins du Monde - Greece/ ΓΙΑΤΡΟΙ ΤΟΥ ΚΟΣΜΟΥ- ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΑΝΤΙΠΡΟΣΩΠΕΙΑ
  • Mobile Info Team
  • Network for Children's Rights/ Δίκτυο για τα δικαιώματα του παιδιού 26.Odyssea
  • PRAKSIS
  • Refugee Rights Europe (RRE)
  • Solidarity Now
  • Symbiosis-School of Political Studies, Council of Europe Network / Συμβίωση-Σχολή πολιτικών σπουδών στην Ελλάδα, Δίκτυο Συμβουλίου της Ευρώπης

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