A Marxist View of Medical Care

Abstract

Marxist studies of medical care emphasize political power and economic dominance in capitalist society. Although historically the Marxist paradigm went into eclipse during the early twentieth century, the field has developed rapidly during recent years. The health system mirrors the society's class structure through control over health institutions, stratification of health workers, and limited occupational mobility into health professions. Monopoly capital is manifest in the growth of medical centers, financial penetration by large corporations, and the "medical-industrial complex." Health policy recommendations reflect different interest groups' political and economic goals. The state's intervention in health care generally protects the capitalist economic system and the private sector. Medical ideology helps maintain class structure and patterns of domination. Comparative international research analyzes the effects of imperialism, changes under socialism, and contradictions of health reform in capitalist societies. Historical materialist epidemiology focuses on economic cycles, social stress, illness-generating conditions of work, and sexism. Health praxis, the disciplined uniting of study and action, involves advocacy of "nonreformist reforms" and concrete types of political struggle.

Medical Sociology in Africa

“…Marx (1887, p. 176) observed that the working class requires some level of subsistence in order to maintain their health without which the consequences will be deleterious. The notion that health is linked to fundamental economic, political, and social conditions can also be found in the work of Rudolf Virchow (Holtz et al 2006;Waitzkin 1978). Virchow traced the social origin of morbidity and mortality to economic deprivation and political inequity among the masses and recommended social transformation such as better wage packages, increased employment, and other forms of socioeconomic improvement as control measures (Baer 1982;Waitzkin 1981).…”

“…Navarro (1974Navarro ( , 1976 observed that the structures of power and the distribution of resources in health and medicine simply mirror the capitalist system as a whole. The upper class predominates on the governing boards of health care institutions, including private and state medical teaching institutions (Waitzkin 1978). The bourgeoisie of insurance companies determine which ailments are covered and which are not.…”

“…This is why the aspects will not be discussed separately, but a simultaneous discussion stressing on the basic polemics of this perspective will be provided. Waitzkin (1978) and Baer (1982) Engels explained how and why working conditions and poor income account for bad health among the working class. He explained that the urban conditions in terms of pollution and congestion are also detrimental to human health.…”

A Marxian interpretation of the growth and development of coronary care technology.

“…2 legitimating expenditures, since they convey a message of deep concern for the public health, while they also support new sources of profit for large industrial firms.…”

Socioeconomic Inequality and Social Exclusion in Health: A Review

“…He showed that mortality rates were inversely related to social class, not only for entire cities but also within specific geographic districts of cities of the Great Britain. In the analysis of multi-factorial etiology, Virchow claimed that the most important causative factors of disease were material conditions of people's everyday lives (Waitkin, 1978). Chadwick's pioneering work on the sanitary condition of laboring population in Great Britain indicated that non-biomedical factors such as housing and living conditions are responsible for the occurrence of disease and pestilence in the 19 th century.…”