| Topic Name: |
MD seeking MBA |
| Message Name: |
public awareness |
| Date Posted: |
07/15/2001 |
| In Reply To: |
Changing the health behavior of the population falls into the world of public health (probably the LEAST funded area of medicine in existence)! The entrenched powers that be (pharmaceutical companies, the AMA, others) have every incentive to NOT SUPPORT public health initiatives. No lung cancer (i.e no smoking); no need for lung cancer drugs and expensive treatments...
Read Betrayal of Trust: the Failure of the Global Public Health System, especially the chapters about the US and you will gain a good understandign of why the US health system is in its current sorry state (i.e. tens of millions of uninsured, 3rd world-esque rates of communicable diseases (especially among minorities), high infant mortality rates, etc.).
Also read Cancer Wars about how the Medical Industrial Complex (and teh government) have focused onthe TREATMENT of cancer versus its prevention...There is no (short-term) money in prevention...only in treatment.... |
| Message: |
It seems that everything comes down to money. I agree with everything you are saying. However, I think that if the minority populaitons and majority populations can be linked to a single fight public awareness can be increased to the point where the focus changes. I believe that medicine and society operate proportionately. The more disparity there is between the upper and lower classes the worse shape everything pertaining to medicine is. It has to start with the minority population first. I have only treated this population and I know first hand that these people are clueless about so many things and it stems from the culture not the race. Bottom line once the urban culture changes and once the two above mentioned are linked then the slow but sure changes we need will start to take place and we will become a strong and healthy nation
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