United Nations Day
Today, October 24, is United Nations Day. It is the anniversary of the charter in 1945 of the world’s first organization aimed at global governmental peace and cooperation. This year, the United Nation’s Day theme is:
Global Health - A Critical Component to Development.
While it is a timely and admirable theme for this visionary international organization, as an American, it seems to me that irony abounds!
The U.S.– host country of the United Nations and a nation whose cutting edge healthcare technologies are a source of great internal pride– is itself a stumbling block to the goal of Global Health. Not only has the U.S. often resisted opportunities to show an understanding of the interconnectedness of health with development issues like the environment, poverty, education, war, genocide, displacement and cultural persecution, we haven’t even taken care of our own people. Here’s what I mean:
First–As avid capitalists, we Americans have insisted medical care be a mostly third-party, profit-driven industry. The result is a system of insurance and medical companies that pander to patients with the ability to pay and limit access to low income families. Most other countries have long come to the astute conclusion that healthcare, like education, safety and infrastructure, is a public trust, not an investment strategy. If we could find the ethical courage to provide medical care for one another and stop bickering about who gets rich, just think how much political, financial and social capital America could free up for solving other problems!
Second–Americans themselves have refused to embrace the idea of health as an investment in developing the future. Our runaway medical costs are an inevitable consequence of our gluttonous lifestyle. Just one example: while millions of children in the world are dying for lack of nutrition, American hospitals and clinics are full of patients with diseases of excess. We have diabetes because we are obese; we are obese because we overeat; we overeat while we sit in front of televisions; we buy televisions for every room in our homes; we build homes that are far beyond what we need to be comfortable; we are comfortable even when we know others are not. A healthy nation needs healthy citizens!
Third and most recently–given the chance to take just one step toward “doing the right thing,” Congress has just voted not to provide healthcare for our own children. Citing their long-standing fear of “socialized medicine” (a concept few can define but many use to fear-monger), Republicans have supported President Bush in blocking the SCHIP legislation. This program would show that Americans have some sense of the long-term financial and social consequences of early detection of health problems and the wisdom of preventative care, not to mention some compassion for children who did nothing to deserve the burden of economic injustice. But in a year of unimaginable deficit spending, conservatives decided we could not pay for SCHIP and besides it would be like giving poor families a handout anyway. What a heartbreak!
Finally–Our international efforts. Though as a member of the U.N. and on our own, America gives billions of dollars to health projects around the world, many U.S. companies and private investors continue to derive huge profits from the health problems of disadvantaged others. AIDS, hunger, infant mortality, pollution, restricted water, reproductive issues, infectious disease and cancer plaque humanity. Our international policies have dire consequences. There is so much to be done, and as individuals and as a nation, we are choosing not to look, not to care, not to act. As world citizens, we are each responsible for all of us!
Any Passion for the Greater Good must embrace Global Health. So what can you do?
- Open your heart to the plight of those without health, without care.
- Become educated about health issues both here in the U.S. and abroad.
- Reexamine your own political and social attitudes about healthcare.
- Take tangible steps toward your own health and moderation.
- Affect change — call your legislator, share your resources, speak truth.
The United Nations has been an unwavering force for peace and development in the world. Today, as we celebrate its charter, let us commit to this year’s theme of Global Health both as citizens and as individuals.
To Those Who Need Healthcare, You Can Be a Blessing!
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