“Nearly two thirds of Australians die from heart disease or cancer” we were told in a Media Release in 2008. This would indicate two thirds of our people die in pain or with no hope of recovery. Only one third of the population remains to have the opportunity to die in good health, or to peacefully slip away in their sleep in the natural way, when tired of living.

The situation has not improved. The Australian Bureau of Statistics’ release of 18/3/2009 goes on to tell us of the underlying major causes of death in our country :

Ischemic heart disease

Malignant cancer of trachea and lungs

Strokes

Chronic respiratory disease

Prostate cancer- Breast cancer

Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease

Colon and Rectal cancer

Blood and lymph cancer & leukaemia

Diabetes

Kidney disease (mainly in females)

Suicide (mainly in males) is growing to become a major public health issue involving intentional self-harm with 1,881 registered deaths from suicide in 2007. These were mainly men in specific age categories. Hanging was the main method chosen.

Listed under External Causes were the accidental deaths in traffic, industrial injury, homicide and other causes of fatality (the figure for 2007 is given at 26,828 deaths) that are not directly related to health issues.

However, it is acknowledged that to isolate single factors is often difficult as in many cases there are multiple causes of death.  It is apparent that some patients suffer conditions complicated by pneumonia, for instance, heart failure, drug reactions, faulty medication and an increasing awareness of the factor of possible iatrogenic causes, medical error or hospital neglect.

The iatrogenic factor is subdued in the Bureau’s statistics and seems to have no mention.  Although the US is facing the seriousness of this issue, it would appear in Australia that efforts to deal with the problem in the Parliament are being suppressed.

We would tend to look for a reason – a conflict of interests – the power of the drug companies –the strength of the medical associations or unknown influences.

Medical drugs are specifically mentioned in the Report of 2001 that cites 710 accidental deaths and suicides 285 involving  Paracetemol, heroin, morphine, methadone, pethadine, cocaine, cannabis, Valium, Prozac, Promazine, Amphetamines and alcohol.

Not only are our medical drugs to be questioned for potential abuse or misuse.The potential to harm through direct action or ‘side effects’  must be considered of equal threat, along with the dangers of illicit drug taking that is damaging the minds and the lives of our people.

Tags: cancer, causes of death, dangers of medical drugs, disease, heart, iatrogenic disease, lung cancer

Filed under: Death-Dying by admin