Disease Disasters: Are we Responsible?
The western world has experience little of the devastating impact diseases have had on 3 rd world
countries until now. While we relish in the wonders of modern medicine, they lack the resources to
treat the devastating on a widespread level.
Here in the UK, we enjoy the comforts of free and effective healthcare. It has its faults, sure, being
tax funded it is readily available to everyone here without the outrageous and often crippling costs
of the American health care system or the few and far between overcrowded public hospitals of
South Africa. I- like everyone- has used the NHS’s services on several occasions and have been in
continual treatment since a young age for hypermobility. In a country without such health care
where a lack of doctors or understanding or money exists, I and many others would be in
immeasurably more pain than I am already. But while I'm safe and secure enjoying modern
medicine, many people all over the world who are less fortunate than I do suffer- simply for being
born in the wrong place. People are suffering and they are suffering needlessly.
Two out of five Americans do not want public health care in their own country; so, the question is:
what hope does the rest of the world have when America does not want to aid their own let alone
anyone else? Obviously, our responsibility as a country is first and foremost to the people in it but,
when we went and conquered half the world in the name of the British empire, we made it our
responsibility but more our duty to people who we took from. We shouldn’t turn our back on the
rest of the world we as a country we stand for more. The people of the world, the people less
fortunate deserve the same chances of life, success and most crucially survival and if we are in a
position to help in anyway why shouldn’t we?
Up until this point I have refrained from mention of the Corona virus that has had a huge impact all
over the world and will have implications on how we move forward as a society. It has shone a light
on how unprepared we are despite both the UK and US stating in a report that they are a ten on a
one to ten scale of pandemic preparedness. Delusional? Perhaps. Imagine just for a second you live
somewhere that isn’t here, that you live in a place with overcrowded hospitals or a lack of public
infrastructure or simply can’t afford to be tested or treated. Imagine the fear for your family and
friends. Imagine the lack of running water and lack of information. Now imagine us as a country
sitting back washing our hands clean of responsibility and waiting for people to die or the virus to die
out. We may have a vaccine but think of all the things you have been able to be vaccinated for, but
other people haven’t and apply that to this situation. No one deserves to die because they were
born in the wrong place.
So, what can be done? Obviously, we must continue to send international aid and to those who
missed it the government recently cut our budget for that. However, the most important thing we
can do is fund research where large companies won’t (because there’s no profit in curing people) get
cures for things and then make sure they are available to all governments. I can already here the
shouts that I am an idealistic socialist with no concept of the real world and I don’t deny my idealism,
but it could be reality. Its not just countries that have a responsibility but people- the top 1% hold
The western world has experience little of the devastating impact diseases have had on 3 rd world
countries until now. While we relish in the wonders of modern medicine, they lack the resources to
treat the devastating on a widespread level.
Here in the UK, we enjoy the comforts of free and effective healthcare. It has its faults, sure, being
tax funded it is readily available to everyone here without the outrageous and often crippling costs
of the American health care system or the few and far between overcrowded public hospitals of
South Africa. I- like everyone- has used the NHS’s services on several occasions and have been in
continual treatment since a young age for hypermobility. In a country without such health care
where a lack of doctors or understanding or money exists, I and many others would be in
immeasurably more pain than I am already. But while I'm safe and secure enjoying modern
medicine, many people all over the world who are less fortunate than I do suffer- simply for being
born in the wrong place. People are suffering and they are suffering needlessly.
Two out of five Americans do not want public health care in their own country; so, the question is:
what hope does the rest of the world have when America does not want to aid their own let alone
anyone else? Obviously, our responsibility as a country is first and foremost to the people in it but,
when we went and conquered half the world in the name of the British empire, we made it our
responsibility but more our duty to people who we took from. We shouldn’t turn our back on the
rest of the world we as a country we stand for more. The people of the world, the people less
fortunate deserve the same chances of life, success and most crucially survival and if we are in a
position to help in anyway why shouldn’t we?
Up until this point I have refrained from mention of the Corona virus that has had a huge impact all
over the world and will have implications on how we move forward as a society. It has shone a light
on how unprepared we are despite both the UK and US stating in a report that they are a ten on a
one to ten scale of pandemic preparedness. Delusional? Perhaps. Imagine just for a second you live
somewhere that isn’t here, that you live in a place with overcrowded hospitals or a lack of public
infrastructure or simply can’t afford to be tested or treated. Imagine the fear for your family and
friends. Imagine the lack of running water and lack of information. Now imagine us as a country
sitting back washing our hands clean of responsibility and waiting for people to die or the virus to die
out. We may have a vaccine but think of all the things you have been able to be vaccinated for, but
other people haven’t and apply that to this situation. No one deserves to die because they were
born in the wrong place.
So, what can be done? Obviously, we must continue to send international aid and to those who
missed it the government recently cut our budget for that. However, the most important thing we
can do is fund research where large companies won’t (because there’s no profit in curing people) get
cures for things and then make sure they are available to all governments. I can already here the
shouts that I am an idealistic socialist with no concept of the real world and I don’t deny my idealism,
but it could be reality. Its not just countries that have a responsibility but people- the top 1% hold
