Yves St Laurent Medicine

You know, whenever I hear some flack on the media begin to spout about how we have the “best medical care in the world”.  I usually turn off my ears, because what is coming is an infomercial about how the new technology will save folks.

I can’t tell you folks how much this repulses me.  Because what we are seeing is not medicine for the benefit of society, but rather, another bubble being propagated.  You see folks, what we are seeing is not the responsible medicine of a doctor telling someone to lose weight, eat more healthy, exercise more, get your vaccines.  Instead, what we are getting in progressively more expensive medicines, with greater side effects, dealing only with “financially rewarding syndromes”, affordable by fewer and fewer people.  The main beneficiaries of this bubble will be big pharma and the ever-underachieving “biotechnology” sector. 

What we care also seeing is the progressive death of the portion of the medical establishment which allows the less-than-rich a better life. Vaccines factories are getting weeded out, there are many fewer out there providing more expensive service.  Simple antibiotics are becoming useless due to the overuse in feeding cattle and poultry.  The proven and effective old line medicines that have gone generic are banished to the nether regions of India for manufacture and are under constant attack by big pharma.

What is even funnier is the way that the middle classes and the rich look at doctors.  Having the “right” doctor and the “right” hospital is a bauble to be displayed in cocktail hour conversation.  Having “heroically” been treated for a disease is the mark of courage nowadays. 

So we have generated a medical system worthy of our national psyche.  Where the blessed rich are offered every benefit and the wretched poor are left to the tender mercies of Prof. Darwin.   What saddens me beyond all belief is that the “Christian Right” are the most vociferous defender of this free-market apostasy.  A socialized medical system is anathema to the right and most readers of this blog.

I can only imagine the tears of St. Luke.