Policymakers must recognise the value of human health, experts argue

In an opinion piece for the British Medical Journal, a group of interdisciplinary experts including CAGE Theme Leader Sonia Bhalotra argue that we must value human health as a measure for a successful society.

World governments commonly refer to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as a measure of success. But GDP has severe limitations. It measures products, outputs and services that have a monetary value even if they damage health, and it does not give monetary value to activities that improve health.

In the past, countries became healthier as they became richer. But this connection between wealth and health has weakened recently. The US, for example, is one of the richest countries in the world, but ranks poorly for health.

The authors argue that a new measure is needed that takes the value of health into account. Policymakers need to look beyond the commodification of health, which sees health as something that comes as a price and is used to solve health problems. More understanding is needed of the value of preventing illness and the positive impacts of parenting and caring on health (often to the financial penalty of the parent or carer). By taking this broader view of health it is easy to see long-term positive impacts of maintaining health for individuals and society.

Read the article here