Skip navigation

Indymedia UK is a network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues

Hidden Article

This posting has been hidden because it breaches the Indymedia UK (IMC UK) Editorial Guidelines.

IMC UK is an interactive site offering inclusive participation. All postings to the open publishing newswire are the responsibility of the individual authors and not of IMC UK. Although IMC UK volunteers attempt to ensure accuracy of the newswire, they take no responsibility legal or otherwise for the contents of the open publishing site. Mention of external web sites or services is for information purposes only and constitutes neither an endorsement nor a recommendation.

Do Death Rates Go Down When Doctors Strike?

Iatrogenic Watch | 23.08.2012 21:31 | Analysis | Culture | Health | Cambridge | World

What are causative factors in the phenomenon that when doctors strike the death rate goes down or does not increase.

There are several million incidents of iatrogenic or physicain, drug, therapist death and many more of iatrogenic injury every year around the world.

Why?

Does greed for money cause unnecessary surgeries and toxic tests such as colonoscopies which rupture intestinal walls, barium enemas causing poisonous effects? Needle technique can harm veins. Improper drug dosages can kill or maim.

Does the cut burn and poison of 'therapies' surgery, radiation and chemotherapy add to unnecessary deaths? Do toxic drugs cause deaths? Is there a single drug on the market without a list of poisonous side effects? What about the staph infections endemic in many hospitals?
Food in many hospitals is substandard.


Doctors struck in 1984 in Varkaus Finland. No increase in the death rate was seen.
In 2003, 4 hospitals closed in Toronto. Many operations were cancelled. . The greater Toronto area death rate went down.
Doctors struck in 1983 for 4 months in Israel... there was no change in the death rate
The British Medical Journal reported in June 2000 on another Israeli strike 3 months went by and death rates fell significantly in cities of strikes
Doctors in 1976 struck in Los Angeles County for a month.The death rate droped 18%.
It is said that in World War 2 with doctors drafted to areas outside the US, the death rate within the US went down.


Footnote:
Some of the above are cited in an article by Cecil Adams
 http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2741/when-doctors-go-on-strike-does-the-death-rate-go-down

Iatrogenic Watch
- Homepage: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2741/when-doctors-go-on-strike-does-the-death-rate-go-down


Links