Politics and health

In a recent QJM editorial,1 Daniels began by stating that medicine and politics are inextricably intertwined, yet concluded that medical journals should publish less ‘political’ material in favour of a more technical agenda. If journals adopt this approach, they are failing doctors, patients and wider society. Many of the issues that influence both health and the practice of medicine are deemed political; it is therefore appropriate for medical journals to inform health professionals about these issues. Even the best evidence-based technical medical intervention will be unsuccessful if the political solutions that allow it to be implemented are not identified. Jones et al . estimate that the implementation of a limited range of interventions could prevent 63% of the worldwide 10 million deaths per year in the under-5 age group.2 The interventions considered in this analysis were selected based on their evidence and feasibility for high coverage in low-income settings. If the objective is to improve global health, we have to look beyond the randomized control trial to what is really impeding progress, even if this leads us into slightly less comfortable ‘political’ areas. Technical matters are far from being a refuge from politics. Even the most seemingly apolitical and technical medical article profoundly reflects its political environment. As Taracena states, …