BMJ 2005;330:954-956 (23 April), doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7497.954
Education and debate
Current controversies
Who needs health carethe well or the sick?
Iona Heath, general practitioner1
1 Caversham Group Practice, London NW5 2UP iona.heath@dsl.pipex.com
Shifting drug spending from the worried well in developed countries to those with treatable disease in poorer nations will benefit the health of everyone
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
Introduction
Investment in health care, especially when it is driven by the
interests of pharmaceutical companies, seems to produce a J
curve. For most of the curve, the more money spent, the better
the health outcomes, but after a certain point, the more spending
and the more emphasis on health at the expense of other areas
of human activity and achievement, the worse overall health
becomes. Many poorer countries are trapped high on the long
arm of the curve while richer countries seem intent on exploring
the upper end of the short arm through the excessive self confidence
of preventive medicine.
1 The emphasis on preventive care damages
patients in rich countries by tipping them towards misery. This
process is built on a foundation of fear and is fanned by economic
and political pressures.
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A fraction of the spending on preventive medicine in rich countries could make a huge difference to the . . . [Full text of this article] |
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Health and wealth
Prolonging life
Medicalising healthy populations

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