Critical Medical Anthropology - Bridging Health Care and The Political Economy
What is Critical Medical Anthropology?
The critical medical anthropology approach looks at health, disease, illness, suffering, healing, and health care and how political and economic factories influence them. This approach looks at a more economic view of health care. Examining factors such as who benefits and who suffers from diseases and illnesses. This approach analyzes socio economic factors of a society and culture, looking at how disease affects the rich, poor, and middle classes. This perspective also includes an overall view of wealth distribution in analyzing populations and groups of people between those who control the wealth and production and those who labor in production. A balance is often looked at when using this analysis to review local objectives such as individuals, families, and communities.
The critical model can be broken into two fields of examination. (Joralemon 2009:41-42)
1) Macro- social: national and international political and economic systems
2) Micro-social: individual levels such as health providers, patient interactions, and social networks. .
Relevance of Critical Medical Anthropology
Studies in the critical approach have also emphasized the need to maintain close attention to sufferers' experience which is not seen as isolated from the social and economic forces which determine this same experience. By involving critical medical anthropology financial aid can be addressed and more refugees would be more likely to seek medical treatment and healthcare.
The critical medical anthropology approach looks at health, disease, illness, suffering, healing, and health care and how political and economic factories influence them. This approach looks at a more economic view of health care. Examining factors such as who benefits and who suffers from diseases and illnesses. This approach analyzes socio economic factors of a society and culture, looking at how disease affects the rich, poor, and middle classes. This perspective also includes an overall view of wealth distribution in analyzing populations and groups of people between those who control the wealth and production and those who labor in production. A balance is often looked at when using this analysis to review local objectives such as individuals, families, and communities.
The critical model can be broken into two fields of examination. (Joralemon 2009:41-42)
1) Macro- social: national and international political and economic systems
2) Micro-social: individual levels such as health providers, patient interactions, and social networks. .
Relevance of Critical Medical Anthropology
Studies in the critical approach have also emphasized the need to maintain close attention to sufferers' experience which is not seen as isolated from the social and economic forces which determine this same experience. By involving critical medical anthropology financial aid can be addressed and more refugees would be more likely to seek medical treatment and healthcare.
Example: "HIV-AIDS"
In treating the global epidemic of aids there has been great debates and struggles regarding the pharmaceutical corporations over the pricing of medications. Critical Medical Anthropologists may view the macro and micro implications of the high cost of the drugs.
Looking at who this benefits, what populations are being served, and the implications of all this on a global level. But an even greater task for Critical Medical Anthropologists is to "continue to search for ever more nuanced ways to characterize the full range of interests that are served by responses to a disease, some of which may even run counter to the priorities of capital accumulation" (Joralemon 2009:62). Critical Medical Anthropologists again work to challenge the medical and pharmaceutical outlooks of healthcare to
broaden a greater perspective by looking holistically at the effects of healthcare and the many aspects that make up the macro and micro societal affects and interests.
In treating the global epidemic of aids there has been great debates and struggles regarding the pharmaceutical corporations over the pricing of medications. Critical Medical Anthropologists may view the macro and micro implications of the high cost of the drugs.
Looking at who this benefits, what populations are being served, and the implications of all this on a global level. But an even greater task for Critical Medical Anthropologists is to "continue to search for ever more nuanced ways to characterize the full range of interests that are served by responses to a disease, some of which may even run counter to the priorities of capital accumulation" (Joralemon 2009:62). Critical Medical Anthropologists again work to challenge the medical and pharmaceutical outlooks of healthcare to
broaden a greater perspective by looking holistically at the effects of healthcare and the many aspects that make up the macro and micro societal affects and interests.