The Politics & Economics of Health.
In my latest TV debate I have pointed out neither repeated Health Policy changes nor Health Care leads to health but instead increases the number of sick people and disease conditions. Why does this happen? Let us take a look.
The Politics:
Politics of health takes place at several levels;
- Governments want to project a healthy society under their rule. Therefore they do not wish to publicize the incidence of disease.
- They want to satisfy the medical establishment. Therefore they always talk about setting up medical colleges & hospitals.
- They want the public to know that they are doing something. Therefore they resort to harmful practices like vaccinations and fumigations.
- Healthy people tend to think and revolt. A chronically sick population remains submissive and obedient
Politics of health takes place at several levels;
- Governments want to project a healthy society under their rule. Therefore they do not wish to publicize the incidence of disease.
- They want to satisfy the medical establishment. Therefore they always talk about setting up medical colleges & hospitals.
- They want the public to know that they are doing something. Therefore they resort to harmful practices like vaccinations and fumigations.
- Healthy people tend to think and revolt. A chronically sick population remains submissive and obedient
- The medical establishment bows
down before the government and fudges disease statistics accordingly to show
improvement in health indicators
- Diseases are given new names to imply that health interventions are effective. Small pox had become chicken pox, Polio became acute flaccid paralysis, measles became rash, mumps became parotitis, Japanese encephalitis became acute encephalitis syndrome
- The medical establishment takes care not to invoke the ire of the powerful pesticide and pharmaceutical industry. Therefore they are always busy ascribing diseases to bacteria and viruses that are intermediary agents and not disease causing agents. They invariably fail to fulfill the Koch Postulates to qualify as disease agents
- They are happy with the opening of medical colleges and hospitals for obvious reasons.
- Diseases are given new names to imply that health interventions are effective. Small pox had become chicken pox, Polio became acute flaccid paralysis, measles became rash, mumps became parotitis, Japanese encephalitis became acute encephalitis syndrome
- The medical establishment takes care not to invoke the ire of the powerful pesticide and pharmaceutical industry. Therefore they are always busy ascribing diseases to bacteria and viruses that are intermediary agents and not disease causing agents. They invariably fail to fulfill the Koch Postulates to qualify as disease agents
- They are happy with the opening of medical colleges and hospitals for obvious reasons.
- International agencies like the
WHO, BMGF, and Unicef are happy with disease. They inflate the incidence of
diseases. 131,000 cases of small pox was inflated to 15 million to justify the
small pox vaccine, 32,000 cases of polio was inflated to 350,000 to justify the
oral polio vaccine
- They decide health on the basis of quantum of drug and vaccine delivery, and the number of doctors in society that act as the sales force, as they are set up by the pharmaceutical industry and depend upon the pharmaceutical industry to survive
- They play the powerful role of intermediaries between the pharmaceutical industry and governments by drafting their policies and intervention measures
- They modify public opinion to create demand for more drugs, vaccines, medical colleges, and hospitals
- They fund NGOs and influence them so that voices of opposition from the civil society is checked
- They decide health on the basis of quantum of drug and vaccine delivery, and the number of doctors in society that act as the sales force, as they are set up by the pharmaceutical industry and depend upon the pharmaceutical industry to survive
- They play the powerful role of intermediaries between the pharmaceutical industry and governments by drafting their policies and intervention measures
- They modify public opinion to create demand for more drugs, vaccines, medical colleges, and hospitals
- They fund NGOs and influence them so that voices of opposition from the civil society is checked
The Economics;
- Health policies are never about health. They are about drug delivery and health infrastructure. These steps benefit the economy, the pharmaceutical industry, and contractors
- Disease and corresponding rise in sales of medicines and devices employs a lot of people, results in revenue and taxes for governments, and adds to the GDP
- the entire "health industry" and health policy makers are terrified about health as it would ruin their livelihoods and the economy
- Health policies are never about health. They are about drug delivery and health infrastructure. These steps benefit the economy, the pharmaceutical industry, and contractors
- Disease and corresponding rise in sales of medicines and devices employs a lot of people, results in revenue and taxes for governments, and adds to the GDP
- the entire "health industry" and health policy makers are terrified about health as it would ruin their livelihoods and the economy
I hope I have been able to
provide some pointers as to why health refuses to stage a comeback despite
large investments and repeated policy changes.
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