health and wealth
Went to see The Constant Gardener last night. For those of you that havent yet, go and see it. right now. sell your pets if you need to, sell your friends if you must.Its basically about this guy in Africa whose wife dies and he finds out shes been murdered cos shes been trying to uncover a scheme where african people are used to test unliscenced drugs without full consent. if they dont agree to the testing they are denied any medical treatment.
Its a heartbreaker of a film, and one that makes you feel a bit helpless. Its based on a true story, and it is something that goes on with startling regularity in African Countries. It struck me that I use so many drugs on a day to day basis (being a nurse, not a junkie!) and how many of them are made and tested unethically? theres a real dilemma there because in order to give life to one person, it may be taken away from someone else. Is it wrong to Kill 65 people getting a formula right when the drug itself will save millions of lives?
This is a big dilemma. I hate that I have so much privelage because I was born here. Health care comes to us without a second thought. I mean, without wanting to be insensitive, look at George Best. I dont want to take away from the fact that his death is a huge tragedy for his family, and that alcoholism is a terrible disease, but the guy went through two livers, and still continued to abuse his body, and yet he is being remembered as a demi-God. We forget so easily how much of a privalege we have in Britain.
Usually seeing a film like this would make me want to take action. But what action can I take this time? if I boycott the drug companies that has implications for my patients wellbeing and for my own professional well being, but then if I dont do anything nothing will change.
Ideas please!!
posted by jodes da princess @ 2:51 PM
3 Comments:
Blimey. Send him my love. Vik's is going to see the film today, so I'll tell her about your post.
And I have no answer for you about the ethics thing.
Hope you are okay Jon (and that the car survives).
Killing 65 people to save millions of lives sounds a bit utilitarian (ends justify the means) to me. I don't agree with that kind of ethical philosphy.
But what to do? a very complex question. Sometimes tragic circumstances result in all actions in a given scenario being wrong. I have no more insight than that, which isn't really any insight at all.
What about your union?
George Best's death was a tragedy.
i cannot wait to see this film. I sounds so excellent.
some smug trivia- my boss and her husband were john le carre's technical/pharmaceutical and medical advisers when he wrote the book orginally - he would DHL them a new draft chapter every day to check and advise on....check out the acknowledgments in the book.
apaprently the film is even better than the book
jon is right it is pretty utilitarian. i also think it is the responsibility of the drug companies to start acting ethically - this should be a human rights issue, and in that case then no utilitarian viewpoint on this can be justified if even only one person's rights are compromised. you cannot compromise one persons rights for the sake of anothers.
I think your predicament is tricky - i do think your direct responsibility is for your patients etc and you should continue as you are. There are other ways to protest other than boycotting them- we need to lobby drug companies, and especially our govt to put pressure on them.
drug companies are generally evil - also of interest is the TRIPS issue for generic copies of patented AIDS drugs- potentially huge global problems if next year cheap copies become illegal....
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