The financial crisis in Europe makes human victims, with a rise in suicide rate and infectious diseases, yet politicians don’t talk about this problem, say health experts. Massive budget cuts and rising unemployment pushes more people to depression. Lower income means fewer visits to the doctor and people can’t afford to buy drugs.
The result is a reversal from 2007, after a long period of decline in the suicide rate, coupled with concerns over the outbreak of infection including HIV – and even malaria – in Greece, according to a European health analyst quoted by The Lancet daily.
Combating these threats requires strong social protection plans, say researchers. But austerity measures imposed by the string of crises in southern Europe – the most recent case was Cyprus – have destroyed the safety nets.
“Austerity measures haven’t solved the economic problems and they have also created big health problems,” said researcher Martin McKee, professor of European Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
The most affected were the countries that cut public spending such as Greece, Spain and Portugal. The suicide rate in Greece rose in 2011 by 40 percent compared to 2010.
Professor McKee added that the failure of European governments and the European Commission to deal with the consequences of their policies on health is reminiscent of the way the tobacco industry is dealing with smoking reduction.
However, Iceland’s case suggested an alternative. Despite a devastating financial crisis, Iceland has rejected the IMF bailout deal and austerity measures, following a referendum, and instead continued to invest in the social welfare system. As a result, researchers have found that there were no discernible effects on health from the crisis. Iceland’s economy has returned to growth, but recovery is uneven and inflation remained very high.
World Health Organization published new data on the health of Europeans. Suicide rates declined in most European countries since the early 90’s, except for a slight increase from 2007 to now, which could be related to the financial crisis.
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