AUSTERITY CAUSES HIGHER DEATH COUNTS DUE TO LACK OF MEDICAL CARE

 

Austerity kills.  The numbers are in and they should provide economists with something to think about.

In past times, such as the great depression, the overall rate of death fell, indicating that being out of work at that time, actually improved your chances at life.

But in the past two decades austerity has become synonymous with death.  In the 1990s, during the Russian economic crisis, millions of men seemed to vanish.  In Greece, the past two years have seen a skyrocketing rate of HIV, which has risen by 200%.

A new book by Sanjay Basu, called "the body economic: why austerity kills...", deals just with such grim statistics.

In the book, the author outlines how the separate and different economic austerities throughout the world have affected the wealth and health of nations.  And mental health too, was not alien to the crises.

The book's data and research spans almost a century, from the Great Depression to modern days. 

But the author's research points to the disparities between countries, who fare differently under similar financial distress. And that, according to the author, is due to the way communities react to the challenges of debt and poverty, and economic upheaval.

First and foremost, austerity cuts vital program that affect the poor, who without them, have no recourse for their medical needs.  Second, medical expenses in some parts of the world are impossible to bear and when austerity strikes, even less money is available to meet them.  

The author in fact, contends that politicians, in the mad rush to fix their economies, are turning the financial crises into health epidemics.

The author outlines that those countries that have fairer and more equal societies, such as Scandinavian countries, fare better under crisis.  And that means that the rest of the world, needs to adopt those measures in order to avoid killing its own citizens.  

Case in point: Greece.  Its rate of HIV has risen 200% because one of the programs first slashed was its HIV prevention network. Another case is in the US, where health care spending has been curtailed significantly in the past few years.  

The recession, if not properly handled then, will worsen the health care program and picture, in the future.  

Source: MNT  4.29.13