A conclusion about what went on in the years since the financial crisis of the years 2008/2020 is frequently being reached: the priority was for governments to balance their books. They needed to cut on their expenses. Among the sectors that got most slashed both in Europe and the US were welfare services... among which public health.
It’s not a coincidence that so many public health administrations became hugely dependent on medical staff imported from abroad, mostly the Third World. Well trained and professionally dedicated, this personnel was prepared to work for relatively low remuneration, which fitted well with the objective of limiting as much as possible spending in public administration.
Even so, the impact of reductions in overall spending continued to be felt, especially by way of reduced investment in medical equipment and in the curtailment of medical staff.
In terms of “efficiency”, austerity seemed like it was delivering good results. Till the pandemic started. There is hardly any doubt that all over Europe public health systems were placed under too great a pressure when they needed to contain corona virus.
The price of austerity has been higher than we had imagined.
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BACK TO “NORMAL”?
It is intriguing to follow the guesses that are being made about life as it will be when we shall have overcome the corona virus pandemic. It will not be the same as before – we shall not be able to go back to a “normal” way of life.
But what’s normal?
In the course of my life, which by now has gotten rather long, I witnessed many changes that even if they were not so big as the one triggered by the pandemic, were still quite radical. For instance, at the very start, I vaguely remember times when people would buy essential goods under “ration”. So it would be called: a registered card, on the basis of which one could buy at a subsidized price, basic necessities by way of food and whatever.
There was a time when Sliema creek used to be bursting with British frigates, and as the seagulls swooped all over the harbour, sailors would approach on pleasure boats to seek entertainment on shore.
There was a time when it was normal to wait for a long time before one could possess a telephone and communication with loved ones abroad could best be done via an exchange of scribbled letters.
The idea of what is “normal” can shift very fast, not just from generation to generation – just as often, from year to year.
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LIONS
In these days, you get to see photos that are troubling, indeed extremely moving. But to be honest, you also are likely to see other photos that do raise a smile, even because they open up a different perspective on this world of ours.
Among the latter, I really liked these days a photo of a pride of lions who had decided to take their siesta in the middle of a tarmacked road. It crosses Kruger reserve park in South Africa. Usually it carries much traffic. Because of the pandemic, the reserve has been closed. Cars have vanished.
Lions discovered this opportunity to take it easy in some new place. Which should lead us to understand that no matter what we may wish to believe, the world has not been made for just humans.