Comments on: Engels and the WHO Report http://dissidentvoice.org/2008/09/engels-and-the-who-report/ a radical newsletter in the struggle for peace and social justice Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:42:51 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Jane Edgett http://dissidentvoice.org/2008/09/engels-and-the-who-report/#comment-27764 Jane Edgett Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:57:13 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/?p=2860#comment-27764 Our society is always talking about the "health of the economy" as if, once "the economy" is good, everything will be good. Yet what do we mean when we talk about "the economy"? Usually, we mean how profitable corporations are and how few people are unemployed. We think that if corporations are profitable, somehow that will trickle down to the worker who will then make a decent living. Yet how do we explain it when these corporations downsize their workforce to increase their profit? Supposedly, this increased profit is good for "the economy". Yet what about the worker who just got laid off? What about that worker's children? Now to unemployment. Low unemployment is supposedly good for "the economy". Corporations are increasingly hiring part time and temporary workers. This increases profit as part time workers get fewer benefits than full time workers. The unemployment statistics go down as more and more part time jobs are created. That's supposedly good for "the economy". Yet what about the part time single mother who can't afford day care or good food? This article by Susan Rosenthal and the WHO research into the social determinants of health is groundbreaking because it puts "the health of people" above "the health of economy". Think about it. If we used the health of people as the measuring stick, wouldn't the world be a much different, and better, place? "Health" could be a new paradigm that starts us thinking outside of "the economy" box. "Health" could be an overarching context in which to discuss social problems of all sorts. The environment, health care, poverty, food regulation . . . in fact, almost any area of society you want to look at can be approached and assessed from an overall human "health" perspective. We could have "health credits" just like "carbon credits". Why not? Let's make "the economy" work for people rather than make people work for "the economy". Jane Edgett, (ex respiratory Therapist and founding member of the Canadian Injured Workers Society (The CIWS is following the work of Darrell Powell who has focused on the workers compensation system as a negative social determinant of health. He has brought this issue to the attention of the Canadian Senate Subcommittee on Population Health) http://www.ciws.ca/articles_bc_worksafe_darrell_powell_coop_radio.htm Our society is always talking about the “health of the economy” as if, once “the economy” is good, everything will be good. Yet what do we mean when we talk about “the economy”? Usually, we mean how profitable corporations are and how few people are unemployed.

We think that if corporations are profitable, somehow that will trickle down to the worker who will then make a decent living. Yet how do we explain it when these corporations downsize their workforce to increase their profit? Supposedly, this increased profit is good for “the economy”. Yet what about the worker who just got laid off? What about that worker’s children?

Now to unemployment. Low unemployment is supposedly good for “the economy”. Corporations are increasingly hiring part time and temporary workers. This increases profit as part time workers get fewer benefits than full time workers. The unemployment statistics go down as more and more part time jobs are created. That’s supposedly good for “the economy”. Yet what about the part time single mother who can’t afford day care or good food?

This article by Susan Rosenthal and the WHO research into the social determinants of health is groundbreaking because it puts “the health of people” above “the health of economy”.

Think about it. If we used the health of people as the measuring stick, wouldn’t the world be a much different, and better, place?

“Health” could be a new paradigm that starts us thinking outside of “the economy” box.

“Health” could be an overarching context in which to discuss social problems of all sorts. The environment, health care, poverty, food regulation . . . in fact, almost any area of society you want to look at can be approached and assessed from an overall human “health” perspective.

We could have “health credits” just like “carbon credits”. Why not?

Let’s make “the economy” work for people rather than make people work for “the economy”.

Jane Edgett,
(ex respiratory Therapist and founding member of the Canadian Injured Workers Society

(The CIWS is following the work of Darrell Powell who has focused on the workers compensation system as a negative social determinant of health. He has brought this issue to the attention of the Canadian Senate Subcommittee on Population Health)
http://www.ciws.ca/articles_bc_worksafe_darrell_powell_coop_radio.htm

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