#globalhealth
The 50th Union World Conference on Lung Health @UnionConference begins tomorrow in #Hyderabad, a major event in #TB and #lunghealth . I am not going- here is a short #thread why.
This is despite being part of an accepted symposium on #coercion and #TB
#bioethics
The 50th Union World Conference on Lung Health @UnionConference begins tomorrow in #Hyderabad, a major event in #TB and #lunghealth . I am not going- here is a short #thread why.
This is despite being part of an accepted symposium on #coercion and #TB
#bioethics
@UnionConference The reason is the ridiculously expensive registration fees for the conference. For a meeting which focuses majorly on #TB, a disease of poverty, and being held in a #LMIC location, it is atrocious to charge such fees. Even at the discounted rates for #LMICs, it is very EXPENSIVE 
@UnionConference I do not have a salaried position which offers such registration fees through the institution, or grant money to cover such fees. I am not going to spend such amounts of money, even if its an important event, as a matter of principle. It is deeply disturbing that this is usual.
@UnionConference Many of the earlier @TheUnion_TBLH conferences have also been similarly expensive. I am not sure why this is considered acceptable by the #TB community. I do not see much protests on this from #TB advocates, or colleagues from organizations such as @StopTB!??
@UnionConference @TheUnion_TBLH @StopTB To be fair to my symposium co-authors, they tried to get alternate funding to cover my costs. I refused to apply for the conference bursary as many more deserving candidates including patient advocates who should get preference.
@UnionConference @TheUnion_TBLH @StopTB I hope conference participants will raise this as an equity issue. You cannot speak on (in)equity, poverty, lack of access in fancy expensive hotel rooms, in conferences with high registration fees which exclude. It is not right. Time for the #globalhealth expensive to ponder.
@UnionConference @TheUnion_TBLH @StopTB Unfortunately, the high registration fees was also an issue with another recent (surprisingly activist led) conference on Citizenship, Governance and Accountability in Health held in India.
@UnionConference @TheUnion_TBLH @StopTB This is an issue we struggled with in the 2018 World Congress of #Bioethics @IABioethics
The local organizing committee rightly pushed on the registration fees and insisted that these be reasonable and be costed in such a way to be inclusive, especially for LMIC applicants.
The local organizing committee rightly pushed on the registration fees and insisted that these be reasonable and be costed in such a way to be inclusive, especially for LMIC applicants.
