Honouring Dr Olle Hansson

Inside Ciba Geigy – Olle Hanson Day May 23
Olle Hansson was an icon of the activist medical profession and wrote a classic in medical investigative exposure. The book was called ‘INSIDE CIBA GEIGY’ and published in Penang, Malaysia in 1989. It is an amazing piece and we like to share words from the the foreword written by Anwar Fazal, former President of International Organisation of Consumers Union (IOCU), co-founder of Health Action International (HAI) and the instigator for the idea of a Peoples Health Assembly.
‘Olle was a very special inspiration to us. His courage, his competence, his commitment were rare in a profession that is more often too comfortable or too implicated to speak out against a powerful industry.’
His passing on 23 May 1985 was mourned not by words but by a series of actions that will continue to inspire those working to see a more responsible pharmaceutical industry world-wide.
23 May has been designated as Olle Hansson Day and is celebrated as a day of action in India and several other countries. An Olle Hansson Award is made each year to a Third World person whose action for rational drug policies demonstrate the fine qualities of Olle, whose words, ‘Now is the time for Action’ will be a rallying call for all times.
To honour of Dr Olle Hansson, significant individuals have been selected for the Olle Hansson Award since 1996. Read more