International Trade Agreements: Hazards to Health?

International Trade Agreements: Hazards to Health?
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国际贸易协定:对健康的危害?

DOI:
10.2190/fb79-g25u-dwgk-c3qk
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发表时间:
2004
影响因子:
3.4
通讯作者:
J. Brenner
J. Brenner
中科院分区:
医学4区
文献类型:
--
作者:
E. Shaffer;J. Brenner

文献摘要

被引文献

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自20世纪80年代以来,新自由主义政策规定减少政府的作用,依靠市场力量组织和提供医疗保健和其他重要的人类服务。在这方面,国际贸易协定越来越多地成为保健和其他服务实行私有化、放松管制和权力下放的机制,对民主和健康都有重要影响。批评者认为,社会紧缩和“自由”贸易协定加剧了全球贫困、经济不平等和不稳定,因此增加了可预防的疾病和死亡。根据通过世界贸易组织达成的涵盖医疗保健、水、教育和能源等重要人类服务的新协议,不负责任的秘密贸易法庭可以推翻民选官员关于国家医疗保健系统公共融资、卫生专业人员许可和培训标准、病人安全和质量法规、职业安全和健康、控制烟草和酒精等有害物质、环境以及负担得起的安全用水和卫生设施。2003年在坎昆和迈阿密举行的国际谈判表明,反补贴观点正在形成势头。一个关切的保健界已开始呼吁暂停关于保健和水的贸易谈判,并重新提出普遍获得重要服务的替代设想。
Since the 1980s, neoliberal policies have prescribed reducing the role of governments, relying on market forces to organize and provide health care and other vital human services. In this context, international trade agreements increasingly serve as mechanisms to enforce the privatization, deregulation, and decentralization of health care and other services, with important implications for democracy as well as for health. Critics contend that social austerity and “free” trade agreements contribute to the rise in global poverty and economic inequality and instability, and therefore to increased preventable illness and death. Under new agreements through the World Trade Organization that cover vital human services such as health care, water, education, and energy, unaccountable, secret trade tribunals could overrule decisions by democratically elected officials on public financing for national health care systems, licensing and training standards for health professionals, patient safety and quality regulations, occupational safety and health, control of hazardous substances such as tobacco and alcohol, the environment, and affordable access to safe water and sanitation. International negotiations in 2003 in Cancun and in Miami suggested that countervailing views are developing momentum. A concerned health care community has begun to call for a moratorium on trade negotiations on health care and water, and to reinvigorate an alternative vision of universal access to vital services.