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Afragile pedestal of faith upholds modem medicine whose practitioners rank among
the most trusted members of our su~iety. Trust is the foundation of a doctor-patient
relationship and, in a broader perspective, itlte relationship bet.ween medical associa
tions and g,overnment. Trust is exchanged upon the understanding that politicians; practi
tioners and their associations will place patient and public interest before their own econom
ic concerns.
Conflicts of interest are common because medicine, that other ann of government, is ide
ally placed, in many countries, to arrange the provision of health care in such a way as Ito
preclude competing health professions.
from a marketing perspective, international medicine is extremely powerful. M~ical
associations may adopt policies controlling availability, price, its own work and the work of
others. Within departments of health, medical personnel play key roles in determining legis
lation that influences multibillion dollar expenditures throughout the global illness industry.
Although medical practitioners are claimed to be in oversupply, the limited intakes in
medical schools, the limits on registration of medical ptiID-ary contact providers, and the
exclusive place of specialised service providers, all help to m~intain costs of services.
Laws, regulations and 'ethics' create a vinuaLJfl9nopoly to the medical model of treatment
within public health care facilities and progrl!ID,!Ill:s to the total, exclusion of 'alternative'
optio,ns. This is based upon the false exclusive premise that health problems are, in the
mam, medical conditions that require medical treatment ~d/or ,referral by medical 'gate
keepers'. From a