How can
anthropology help to the politics about public health in Chile?
Background:
Chile is a country that since its creation has
been characterized by an important number of social inequalities. This problem
increases when we talk about public health for the ordinary citizen.
Unfortunately, throughout history the general and institutional thought of
considering medicine and health as a consumer product has existed, in contrast
with the ideal of health as a social right for all people. As a result of this
thought, only a reduced part of population in Chile can have a good attention in
this area, meanwhile the great majority has to accept a poor and incompetent
public health attention with resignation.
In summary,
any government throughout history has been able to solve this problem,
which is the reason why anthropology has to intervene with the new policies of
public health.
Problem:
Despite the modernity and the return of
democracy in Chile, a large portion of the Chilean population just does not
have enough resources to access to a good health attention. This is a fact, and
according with the numbers of the director of the Department of Politic Sciences
of the UAH, Ignacio Cienfuegos, close to 60% of population have to resort to
the public system.
To illustrate the actual situation, the results
the study of “Chile Dice” (elaborated by the University Alberto Hurtado) shows
us that a majority of Chilean population sees the public health as a priority
problem, despite other problems like education, pensions and economic development.
Solution:
As a solution, anthropology can start to help with an initial research of the problem, using the resources of the subject, like ethnography at the public hospitals or using statistics methods for have a better comprehension of the situation and finally give an dignified public health to the population of Chile.
Solution:
As a solution, anthropology can start to help with an initial research of the problem, using the resources of the subject, like ethnography at the public hospitals or using statistics methods for have a better comprehension of the situation and finally give an dignified public health to the population of Chile.
