Biosecurity Interventions by Andrew Lakoff

Author:Andrew Lakoff
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: MED035000, Medical/Health Care Delivery, POL035000, Political Science/Political Freedom and Security/General
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Published: 2008-10-10T00:00:00+00:00

“Populations in Danger”

“Nobody should die from cholera.”

—MSF fundraising letter, March 2007

MSF often uses the phrase “populations in danger” to identify its primary object of concern. Appearing across numerous internal and public events and documents (including an occasional book series published since 1992), the expression combines categorical concern for human suffering with a realistic commitment to evaluation.4 Like the group’s related tradition of annually listing the top ten “underreported” crises, MSF’s identification of populations in danger claims a degree of authoritative expertise, one motivated by humanitarian principle rather than political interest. It is, in this sense, a properly medical opinion, cast on a world scale out of human interest, rather than technical curiosity alone. Monitoring the globe as a concerned, independent observer, the group sees dangers to human life and welfare in many directions. The most recent volume in MSF’s series brims with potential disaster.5 Ordinary people can be threatened by warlords (Liberia) or by strong states (U.S. action in Afghanistan and Iraq). They may be hurt by a shortage of international attention (Democratic Republic of Congo) or by the misappropriation of humanitarian aid (North Korea, Sudan). In addition to suffering derived from human conflict and displacement, MSF also worries about potential outbreaks of disease, both exotic and mundane. And it is increasingly concerned about general issues of biomedical infrastructure, including discriminatory policies of pharmaceutical pricing, and the general lack of medicines for unprofitable conditions. In terms of categories like “security, territory and population,” then, the frame is strikingly large and the threats quite varied.6

Beyond efforts to sway public opinion, MSF also practices “frontline” medicine, mounting projects almost anywhere in the world it deems sufficiently endangered and to which it can gain access. In the case of crisis situations such as sudden population displacements or disease outbreaks, the goal is to arrive on site as quickly as possible, with sufficient equipment to be effective. To quote a line from fundraising material used by MSF–USA, “speed saves lives.” Although the slogan made some veteran members of the larger organization wince when I mentioned it to them, it does capture the essential logic of emergency response. Since MSF casts itself as global organization, it needs to travel across all sorts of terrain when pursuing emergency projects. The core technical challenge facing this variety of humanitarian medicine, then, is that of mobility, and the rapid, seamless transfer of enough equipment to operate. Unsurprisingly, the group has developed considerable expertise in logistics. To better frame this logistical tradition, I will sketch elements of the larger organizational history from which it emerged.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.