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The Struggle for Health

Medicine and the politics of underdevelopment

David Sanders author Barbara Hutton editor Wim De Ceukelaire editor

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Oxford University Press

Published:23rd Mar '23

Should be back in stock very soon

The Struggle for Health cover

The first edition of The Struggle for Health was published in 1985 and was widely acclaimed by those seeking a broader and deeper political understanding of ill health, beyond the medical model of care. It was a revolutionary book, charting new ways of understanding and tackling the causes of ill health, and suggesting strategies to enable health for all. This second edition includes health problems that have emerged since the 1980s, notably HIV/AIDs, COVID-19, and other epidemics, and the increase in non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It examines some of the health impacts of globalization, specifically on the food and pharmaceutical value chains, and considers the consequences of climate change on the health of populations. However, this edition does not depart from the core message of the original book: Health for All can only be achieved through a more equitable distribution of wealth, resources, and power. The Struggle for Health, Second Edition, utilises the same approach as the first, with a narrative that begins with diseases, then describes historical trends and the limitation of the medical (and commercial) model of care. At each juncture, it asks the question 'WHY' - why do people, especially children, still die in large numbers throughout the world, from wholly preventable diseases? Why is it that appropriate provision for health care is not available to every individual in the world? What changes can be made to improve this situation? Most importantly, this edition presents a strengthened call to action, building upon the original work and advocating for systemic changes to ensure justice and equity in health for all.

This book presents an accessible, comprehensive, and revealing analysis of the political economy of health. It provides a much-needed discussion of the alternatives to the pure capitalist approach to achieving equity in health outcomes. It provides hopeful solutions for the provision of comprehensive primary health care based on local needs. * Doody's Book Review *
For years, attendees at global health conferences saw Sanders rise to ask, politely, pointed questions that many felt unable to ask. How had technology and metrics gained such prominence while engagement with communities and their local conditions and priorities were too often discounted? Sanders is now gone. But in this book, and in the work of People's Health Movement to which he devoted his final years, can be found the critical analyses, courage, and facts needed to stand up and speak truth to power. * Mary T Bassett, The Perspectives *

ISBN: 9780192858450

Dimensions: 235mm x 157mm x 17mm

Weight: 592g

352 pages

2nd Revised edition