The economy and health constitute an inseparable binomial. The decisions made in the economy of a country have an impact on the health of its population, in the same way that the health of the population influences socioeconomic development.
The economy-health relationship has become relevant in an accelerated way in the times of Covid-19. The pandemic has represented human and economic suffering for the international community. Its presence has generated an unprecedented crisis, characterized by the slowdown in the world economy, a drastic contraction, which some have identified as the worst since 1914 and 1930.
Many countries have declared themselves in recession or have recognized a high risk of recession. In many of these countries, the presence of the pandemic has meant serious crises in their health systems. A 40% drop in foreign direct investment due to the pandemic is forecast in the world. There has been a serious financial and banking impact, with its implications on exchange rates, increased borrowing costs, and a 35% drop in remittances to low-income countries.
According to the World Tourism Organization, tourism has had a contraction of 30%. This sector has created instability due to its contraction in the economies and countries that depend on it. The effects are particularly profound in the countries most affected by the pandemic and most dependent on international trade or, for example, those that depend fundamentally on tourism or commodity exports and foreign financing.
Everyone became more vulnerable. At the same time, the pandemic has caused the greatest damage in the poorest and most unequal countries, both economically and humanly. In this aspect, what is expressed in the economic cycle of Horwitz’s disease is confirmed, where it is stated that in the face of disease and precarious health systems, the poor get sicker and in turn become poorer because they are sick and do not have a system of health that protects them, which closes the cycle turned into a vicious circle.
There are several aspects that show the interaction between health, health system, poverty, economic conditions of the population and economic system. Dr. Horwitz was convinced that collaboration between economics and health sciences is not enough if this joint strategy is not reflected in greater social justice, in a more dignified existence and with greater happiness for man to live and fulfill himself in fullness.
Health directly influences the economy of a country. The economic environment modifies and affects the health of the population and the organization of health systems. Income is a determinant of the morbidity and mortality of a population, the economic situation of a population and its health levels are closely related. An example is the indigenous populations, which are the poorest and most neglected; in the case of Covid-19, they have become more ill and caused more deaths, as well as showing more precarious health indicators.
The conditions of poverty and the health system are also related, there is a strong correlation between the level of poverty in many countries and access to the health system in terms of the probability of being attended by the institutional structure of the system in case of requiring attention medical. The relationships between poverty and health are complex and their study and analysis can become a strong tool for decision-makers, promotes the design of policies that improve the economic system and the health system, strengthens the integration of analysis of health policies with the rest of the policies that a country draws up. Which path will Mexico take? We will see.