SPANISH PATIENT WITH CHRONIC MERCURY INTOXICATION GOES ON HUNGER STRIKE

As of yesterday, July 26, 2010, Professor Servando Perez, President of Mercuriados Spain (people affected by chronic mercury intoxication), has began a hunger strike. Prof Perez was diagnosed two years ago as having Chronic Mercury Intoxication and Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS). His case went to the highest court in Spain and a judged ruled that Prof Perez had chronic mercury intoxicaton due to dental fillings and that the Spanish public health care system (Social Security) should treat his condition with chelation or refer him to a private clinic to do so and pay the costs. This was an incredible legal precendent.

Needless to say that Professor Perez has not been treated yet and the Social Security has been doing everything possible to make sure that him, as with other MCS, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephylitis and Fibromyalgia patients in Spain, do not receive proper medical services from the public health care system.
Because of this, Mercuriados Spain and many other associations, we have been carrying out campaigns, popular initatives, lobbying, legal suits, and may other strategies to change this situation. But with no positive results.

Professor Perez' health has deteriorated and a month ago he went to emergency at the Santiago de Compostela University Hospital. They refused to attend him and he said he would not leave the hospital until the judge's order for a chelation was carried out.
In the past month, at the hospital, Prof Perez has endured all kinds of harrassment and pressures to leave. He has even been "diagnosed" as having a psyquiatric illness despite the fact that his illness is organic.

We, the Spanish MCS, CFS/ME and FMS associations have mounted a campaign to support Prof Perez with emails, phone calls to the hospital, press, etc.
And now, the latest harrassing strategy by the hospital is to refuse to give him food without additives. Faced with all of this, Servando Perez has started a hunger strike. Yes, he could try to get a bank loan and pay for a private chelation, but this would not help the rest of us ill people in Spain waiting to get treatment in the public health care system. The hospital says that they refuse to refer him to a private clinic (and pick up the tab) because it would set a precedent, and soon all the people with chronic heavy metal intoxication in Spain would have to be treated. And they don't want to do that with our tax money.

Servando Perez has opted for the brave and hard road to try to change the desperate situation we live with in Spain, those of us with these illnesses. And we are proud of Servando's action.

We write you to inform you and to ask you for your support.
Please write or phone the Subdirector of the Hospital Santiago de Compostela, Dr Jose-RamÌÒn GÌÒmez at jose.ramon.gomez.fernandez@sergas.es
or phone him at (34) 98.1950970.
And write to the Minister of Health of that part of Spain (Galicia), Conselleira de Sanidade gabinete.sanidade@sergas.es

You can also send an email of support to Servando Perez at servando.mercuriados@gmail.com

We are all Servando Perez!

Thank you,
Clara Valverde
President
Liga SFC (CFS/ME League, Spain)
www.ligasfc.org