degrowth health public policies

Degrowth public policies

Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal

11/07: Degrowth Health Care System, Vitor Ramos

Health systems

Starting point was the history of implementing health systems in Germany and Austria in the times of Bismarck: Goal was to keep the workers healthy enough to be able to work in industries.

Analysis of prototypes of 4 health systems, that may be mixed in reality:

1. e.g. USA

Patients pay doctors directly, remedies are private and people take care of themselfes. For poor people, the state provides some basic treatment.

2. Bismarck model

Health insurance for central Europe, applicable in rich countries

3. Health as national service (UK)

Public health system is funded via taxation

4. Cuba, former soviet union

Health is a national service, but the state controls. Under the table payments are quite common.

In the past: grandmothers took care with home-made medication, then came centralization. The keypoint is the control of access to drugs.

SWOT Analysis

The group split in smaller group. Each group did a SWOT Analysis about health system in degrowth society. Later the results were matched together as follows:

strengths

the current system has strengths

complex and expensive

differences are good

dr. google-syndrom

access for majority

weaknesses

theeth, glasses often not covered

minority group

burnout, management pressure

less relational

distribution of resources

waste in fragmental administration

balance public-private

pharmaceutical industry

isolation

neoliberal system

maldistribution of care/rural areas

opportunities

alternative medicines/practices/cultures

physical exercises

movement natural

new visions coming

needs of ageing societies

self care

publications

informal local experiences/solidarity

possible holistic approaches

preventative fashions (e.g. vitamins)

References:

Ivan Illich

Barbara Starfield/the resourceful patient