PMID: 3749969Jan 1, 1986Paper

Curative medicine, preventive medicine and health status: the influence of politics on health status in a rural Mexican village

Social Science & Medicine
K R Stebbins

Abstract

This paper examines a recent program which purports to address the health concerns of millions of poor rural Mexicans whose constitutional guarantees of health have been largely ignored. This new program asserts the importance of preventive medicine, but makes little effort to implement preventive measures. The curative medicine it does emphasize in practice may alleviate pain and suffering for a time, but ignores critical factors that contribute to the persistence of disease. This paper examines why underdeveloped countries are more likely to implement curative than preventive services for poor people, even while proclaiming the importance of preventive measures. In dependent capitalist economies, the rural penetration of state-directed health services perpetuates the privileged position of the political and economic elite. Based on research conducted in a highland Chinantec village in Oaxaca, this paper concludes that the recent health services program addresses symptoms rather than causes of disease and is not likely to significantly improve the health status of the people who are most in need of such assistance.

References

Feb 1, 1978·American Journal of Public Health·R England
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Citations

Jan 1, 1989·Social Science & Medicine·M Singer
Dec 1, 1992·Social Science & Medicine·M S Sherraden, S P Wallace
Dec 1, 1993·Social Science & Medicine·P A Parra
Mar 10, 2016·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health·Sandeep S NerkarCecilia Stålsby Lundborg
Jan 1, 1987·International Journal of Health Services : Planning, Administration, Evaluation·K R Stebbins
Jan 27, 2018·Health Economics, Policy, and Law·Gregory P Marchildon
Apr 20, 2000·Indian Journal of Pediatrics·H M SwamiS P Bhatia
Mar 23, 2012·Health Economics·Santosh Kumar, Sebastian Vollmer
Jul 1, 1999·Health Affairs·C D Naylor
Jan 1, 1988·Journal of Biosocial Science·J Holian

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