Marxist and Feminist Perspective on Health and Illness

Marxist Perspective on health and illness

Marx was mainly concerned with the existence of class based society, in which dominant group (Capitalist/bourgeoisie) has the power to manipulate and subjugate the working class (Proletariat), in order to achieve their self interests. He was concerned with the role of the dominant economic institutions and their ability to shape the relations upon which the major socio-economic systems of our times are constructed (Bilton, 2006).

Medicine is considered a very important social institution and it are shaped in accordance with the capitalistic interest prevalent in our society. Navarro suggests that there are four features that have the ability to identify medicine as deeply rooted in capitalistic ideology, and termed this notion as an invasion of the capital in the house of the medicine (Bilton, 2006).

The first feature emphasizes the increasing role of capital in health institutions, and its impact in changing the nature of the medicine from individual craft or skill to corporate medicine. The incorporation of capitalistic mode of thinking in the health industry made the latter more hierarchical and specialized (Bilton, 2006).

Today medical industry has its own labour force in the form of doctors, nurses and even pharmaceutical companies. The actual medical staff (doctors and nurses) has become the new Proletariats, who are increasingly depending upon managerial and administrative staff for everyday health decisions. These non-medical professionals (Administrators and Pharmaceutical companies) have been given a task to run our health institutions and focus more on economic productivity of hospitals as compare to the caring of the individual patients (Bilton, 2006).

In modern day society, capitalism has restructured and reconfigured our health institutions and turns it into a market commodity for those who have the financial capability to pay for the offered services.

In other words, it means that if someone from underprivileged class get sick, he or she has fewer chances of survival as compare to the rich who can bought the qualitative medical services from the market and increase h/her chances for survival. Furthermore, it has made the finance and corporate sectors, which are again considered the founding stones for capitalistic economy. The finance sectors (in the form of insurance companies), sell insurance premiums to an individual who cannot afford the ever increasing healthcare cost, and the corporate sector through the sale of medical instruments, technology, drugs and so on (Bilton, 2006).

The authority to direct and manipulate has been taken up by blue chip companies, which has a monopolistic control over the medical industry and its related sectors. Navarro, further states that although in Europe people enjoy national system of healthcare, but in reality it is a part of medical-industrial-state complex. The state buys medicine and related equipment from the large corporations subsidize their research in Public Sectors University through taxpayer money and maintain large infrastructure of hospitals which never let anyone of them out of business and profit making (Bilton, 2006).

Marxist also asserts that health related issues are caused by stressful and un-healthy work ...