Neoliberalism and its relevance to health professions

This essay critically analyzes the concept of neoliberalism and its impact on health professions. It discusses how neoliberal policies have affected the health care sector and created inequalities in access to health care. The essay argues that the adoption of the idea of professionalism by health and other human service professionals is the only solution to the problem. The government needs to fund human services even with the neoliberalism trend.

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NEOLIBERALISM AND HOW IS IT RELEVANT TO HEALTH PROFESSIONS
Health care IT professional
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WHAT IS NEOLIBERALISM AND HOW IS IT RELEVANT TO HEALTH
PROFESSIONS?
With the changes in economic environment, people are facing several issues. Back to its roots
in 19th century when the classical liberalism was all profound, neoliberalism rose currently as
the revamped version of the same classical liberalism. This neoliberalism aspect gained its
momentum and large policies have been framed by government in the society. This topic has
been mostly discussed in health care IT professional. It is framed of two words, where neo
means new and liberal means free from the intervention of government. It is largely a policy
structure that enables the transmission of economic factor control from the public sector to
the private sector. It is based on the idea of bringing a revolution in the whole economy by
changing the way policies are now framed and intended. The idea is to reduce the deficit
spending by government, limiting subsidies, reform tax laws, make free trade happen and
limit protectionism. The belief is to open up markets to let the trade happen freely and bring a
halt to the power of state and government over the economy. Unlike liberalism, neoliberalism
is not a political philosophy focusing of social, economic or political aspects (Venugopal,
2015). Neoliberalism is a complete economic philosophy. The current essay is all about the
relevancy of the concept of neoliberalism to the health professions (Eagleton-Pierce, 2016).
However, with the changes in time and ramified external factors, the concept of
Neoliberalism also changes in society.
Due to the recent neoliberal trends and the design and implementation of health care reforms,
the government intervention in the health care sector has minimalized and the sector is facing
serious negative effects from market forces. With the advent of neo-liberal thought process,
health care is now looked as a private good to be sold in the market. Instead of a patient, now
the person taking the health care services is seen as a customer to whom the good of health
care is sold like any other commodity (Cohen, & Reinhardt, 2017). Along with the citizens,
the neoliberal attacks on health care have ruined things for the employees in government
health care being the health professionals. Neoliberalism has created the idea of free market
but it has somehow vanished the thought of right to health. With the government decision of
spending less on the health care of the population, the underprivileged sections of society that
have less access to markets stand deprived of proper health care facilities (Schrecker, 2016).
The main outcomes to mitigate these issues would be related to adoption of idea of
professionalism by the health and other human service professionals.

The health care professionals who were employed with the government health care
programmes seem to face a huge drawback. Being the shift transferred to the private sector,
either they need to change their jobs or look for alternate solution to overcome the latent
unemployment that they are facing. The health professionals have started migrating
internationally (Walton-Roberts, 2015). The neoliberal policies have probed serious problems
for the human service professions, be them health professionals, lawyers, teachers etc. At the
global level, the effects can be observed. A conflict of interest now has been created among
the medical professionals and the patients. There is commercialisation of health care services
now, which has cut the government funding for public health. Even in the field of health
education, the medical students’ ideology has been affected by neoliberalism. They are taught
to behave like commercial actors in the field of medicine now. The commercial influence is
completely visible over the social one. Professionalism has started getting blurred (Gray,
Dean, Agllias, Howard, & Schubert, 2015). Although the things are bad at the global level,
but things are not worse when it comes to Australia. The dignity of the medical profession is
intact and Australia ranks third in the world when it comes to life expectancy of men and
sixth for women.
The neoliberal policies have increased the inequalities that persisted in the health sector. The
situation is even worse when it comes to disabled people (Rotarou, & Sakellariou, 2017). Due
to profit hunger, the markets have totally ignored the concept of human rights when it comes
to health care. A person who has a social standing and good lot of money to spend can only
avail good health care services. Health insurance has now become a tool to buy the
commodity called health from market. E.g. if a person is poor and do not have enough money
to avail expensive private health care, he is likely to suffer more of the disease and eventually
will need to spend even more to save his life. Further the next generations could also have to
face the repercussions of the same. All this is due to the conversion of a social sector which
has always been supported by government largely is now neo-liberalised to become a profit
well (Rotarou, & Sakellariou, 2017).
The only solution to the whole problem seems to be the adoption of idea of professionalism
by the health and other human service professionals. They need to develop an understanding
that any commercial or political influence is much smaller when compared with human right
of staying healthy. The personal attitude of the medical professionals which is developed
during the tenure of their education and practical experience has to play a major role in

developing resistance to external influences. An understanding is required to be created
among the professionals regarding the ill effects that neoliberalism ideas are creating or can
create over the social needs. The government needs to fund to the human services even with
the neoliberalism trend (Rea, 2016). Now in the end, it could be inferred that government
needs to understand the human needs and required aspects with the neoliberalism trend

References
Venugopal, R. (2015). Neoliberalism as concept. Economy and Society, 44(2), 165-187.
Eagleton-Pierce, M. (2016). Neoliberalism: The key concepts. Routledge.
Gray, M., Dean, M., Agllias, K., Howard, A., & Schubert, L. (2015). Perspectives on
neoliberalism for human service professionals. Social Service Review, 89(2), 368-392.
Rotarou, E. S., & Sakellariou, D. (2017). Inequalities in access to health care for people with
disabilities in Chile: the limits of universal health coverage. Critical Public Health, 27(5),
604-616.
Walton-Roberts, M. (2015). International migration of health professionals and the
marketization and privatization of health education in India: From push–pull to global
political economy. Social Science & Medicine, 124, 374-382.
Rea, J. (2016). Critiquing neoliberalism in Australian universities. Australian Universities'
Review, The, 58(2), 9.
Schrecker, T. (2016). Neoliberalism and health: The linkages and the dangers. Sociology
Compass, 10(10), 952-971.
Cohen, C. I., & Reinhardt, M. M. (2017). Political Economy and Neoliberalism. Community
Mental Health: Challenges for the 21st Century, 328.