Christiane Schulzki-Haddouti
Responding to the crisis of care
Healthcare is in crisis across most of the globe, and perhaps particularly in our two countries of the United States and the United Kingdom, both of which appear more disunited than ever by the greed and carelessness that drive socioeconomic and political polarisation, and the systematic degradation of our planet. There are two possible responses to this crisis. The first assumes that this is simply a crisis of organisation, efficiency, information, technology, and scale. It sees people as insufficiently studied biological machines, as sparsely detailed clouds of data, as inadequately monitored and regulated physiologies. The increasingly ruthless pipedream is that, if only the healthcare industry could access and use everyone’s biomedical and socioeconomic data, then their needs could be predicted, and a healthy future would be assured for all. Industry is already reaching out through the sale of technological devices on wrists and in pockets, in homes and at work, encouraging their consumers to act, cajole, or force action or recruit others to prevent disease and suffering; all the while forgetting that, in the end, everyone must die. The biomedical science and technology discovery machine produces tests and treatments to be delivered by chatbots to isolated consumers without the frictions and costs of having to deal with other people. They are set to operate in healthcare systems at scales of speed and reach that are only possible when we abandon the idea that care is only possible between people. This response fuels the ever greater involvement of large retail and data corporations in healthcare, and drives the increasing consumption of pharmaceuticals and medical technology, all of which wilfully ignores the consequences for the planet. The second response assumes this is a crisis of care in and of itself. Care happens in the space between people, in an unhurried encounter. Only …
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