Medical–industrial complex
[4][5][6][7] Prior to the conception of the "medical-industrial complex" term, themes related to the MIC were discussed in earlier American society, as shown through the work and philosophies of Rana A. Hogarth and Francis Galton.
[11][1] The Food and Drug Administration has implemented laws to protect patients against the potential negative impacts of the medical-industrial complex in the United States.
[19][20][21][22] Drawing from diverse theoretical frameworks and the collective efforts of historically marginalized communities, critics have proposed alternatives to the medical-industrial complex that aim to reimagine health as a holistic concept, challenge the medicalization of sickness, and integrate lived experiences into healthcare settings.
[34] In the 21st century, the medical industrial complex has come to encompass a system of oppression and subject of critical analysis by scholars, activists, organizers, and advocates.
[citation needed] According to encyclopedia.com, the Medical-Industrial Complex has "contributed to improvements in the health status of the population" but "it has also strengthened and preserved the private sector and protected a plurality of vested interests.
[39] Doctors such as gynecologist J. Marion Sims operated on enslaved black women without anesthesia in order to document and develop gynecological medical issues and techniques to repair them.
It was defined as "the science which deals with all influences that improve and develop the inborn qualities of a race" with the goal of "represent[ing] each class or sect by its best specimens, causing them to contribute more than their proportion to the next generation.
[50] For example, research has shown that pharmaceutical companies promote branded drugs more, making physicians more likely to prescribe an expensive medicine over a generic alternative.
[54] These corporations set standards regarding care administration, regulation, and enforcement – often without implementing a proper code of medical ethics.
[60] As such, these large journals can perpetuate bias in healthcare providers' medication preferences by presenting results that are inherently influenced by the motives of businesses.
[67] In recent 2020 health-care research, data has expressed how pandemics like COVID-19 have further tested the preparedness of the entire system's ability to combat a rapidly spreading virus.
[87] Some argue that these lower ratings are partly due to the fact that the United States does not provide universal health coverage, unlike many other nations.
[89] Due to these disparities, scholars argue that the White Savior Industrial Complex (WSIC) has influenced healthcare systems on individual, interpersonal, structural, and global levels.
[89] Coined by Teju Cole, the WSIC refers to the phenomenon where privileged white individuals seek personal fulfillment by trying to "liberate, rescue, or otherwise uplift underprivileged people of color.
One such example describes how a white American physician caused Ugandan medical staff to doubt their knowledge and ability in delivering a baby.
[89] Some individuals claim that the medical-industrial complex also exists in India, where the Indian Medical Association lobbies for their interests in local and state politics.
Claims of unethical practices may stem from the stark contrast between healthcare systems ranging from tall, high-tech hospitals to dilapidated, dirty ones.
[93] Some medical professionals and scholars suggest that stricter office guidelines may decrease unethical practices, but this could also raise the cost of healthcare for patients.
"[94] The healthcare-industrial complex also expands beyond Brazil, where internal infrastructure fails to meet medical demands, leaving patients unable to access necessary products and services.
Alternative approaches to the medical-industrial complex incorporate elements from different theoretical frameworks and practices, such as holism, environmentalism, reproductive justice, the disability rights movement, feminism, and other related concepts.
[101][102] These alternative approaches stem from the collective efforts of historically marginalized activists facing structural violence, including Indigenous, Black, and migrant communities.
[103] According to various scholars, these alternative approaches aim to reimagine health as a holistic concept that extends beyond the traditional focus of the medical-industrial complex to include the body, mind, and spirit.
[101][102][104] Furthermore, these alternative approaches challenge the medicalization of illness and disease by highlighting how structural factors shape health, rather than just individual behaviors.
[103][104][105][106] Alternative approaches to the medical-industrial complex also challenge the boundaries between patient and provider to encourage collaboration between the two and to center the lived experiences of individuals in the healing process.
[101][102][104][106] Additionally, they highlight the importance of forming caring relationships within one's community to establish a sense of solidarity among individuals as equal participants in the healing process.
"[107] He argues that the MIC is a critical component of the ideology of cure by shaping "our understandings of health and well- being, disability and disease" and perpetuating the idea that bodies and minds need improving.
[107] Simultaneously, Clare acknowledges that cure, and thus the medical industrial complex, has helped many individuals to cope with chronic diseases or illnesses that have caused them pain.
[108] Another distinct approach from the medical-industrial complex is alternative health, which incorporates elements of traditional medicine and focuses on addressing underlying factors of disease rather than merely treating symptoms.
[109] Alternative health, as a new social movement, provides a space for individuals and communities with diverse lived experiences to actively participate in the healthcare system while emphasizing their humanity in the healing process.
[110] Scholars Jonathan Metzl and Helena Hansen advocate for a new approach to medical education in the United States, termed structural competency, which entails clinicians' ability to comprehend and address social determinants of health during patient interactions.
