English

The $360 trillion

I was worried, like all the other people in the world, about the lack of treatment for this virus epidemic, so I asked the WHO [World Health Organisation] this question:

“Do you have any global statistics on the lack of treatment, nurses, doctors, hospitals and medicine around the world, and how much funding is needed to overcome this epidemic?”

WHO replied:

“WHO has deployed technical support teams since the beginning of March to Iran and Italy to help local and national health authorities design mitigation policies and strategies, prepare and equip health workers, clinics and hospitals. Tailored support based on risk framework, but all elements include:

o Emergency response mechanisms

o Risk comms and public engagement

o Case finding and contact tracing

o Public health measures

o Laboratory testing

o Treating patients & hospital readiness

o Infection prevention & control

o All-of-society and all-of-government approach

WHO has shipped supplies of personal protective equipment to 57 countries, is preparing to ship to a further 28, and has shipped lab supplies to 120 countries”.

We can see from this response that 120 countries lack in laboratory supplies and 85 countries are lacking personal protective equipment.

There is a problem in our world health system if we lack the basic necessities to overcome this pandemic problem. Why are we in this catastrophic health system?

The answer is obvious. There is not enough budget or funding for the health sector!

The world’s wealth is $360 trillion, but the problem is, we don’t own it. “Globally, there are 46.8 million millionaires, or 0.92% of the world’s adult population in mid-2019. They collectively own US$158.3 trillion, or 44% of global wealth.”

That half of the world’s fortune keeps the capital accumulation process going which means that health is not a priority, unless it is profitable. For this reason, the UK and other capitalist governments make cuts in the NHS budget and want to sell the health sector to the USA.

What is the solution?

This pandemic problem can be solved if £360 trillion is redistributed to the health sector. This means redistribution of wealth and a shift from prioritising the capitalist class’s profit for 1% of the population towards life and health for 99% of the world.

That seems to be a shift to socialism. So, what? If capitalism brought about an epidemic, let socialism bring the cure.

https://workersliberty.org/index.php/story/2020-03-29/360-trillion

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