The Sociopolitical Health Hegemony Theory (SPHHT) of Health and Diseases: Towards a Healthier World The Sociopolitical Health Hegemony Theory
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Abstract
The Sociopolitical Health Hegemony Theory (SPHHT) offers a critical reinterpretation of the determinants of health and disease, emphasizing the central role of sociopolitical power structures in shaping population health outcomes. Departing from traditional models that predominantly attribute health disparities to biological, environmental, or isolated social factors, SPHHT argues that health is a politically governed domain where systemic inequalities are both produced and perpetuated through strategic policy decisions and governance practices. Beyond neglect or systemic failure, SPHHT highlights the deliberate compromise of healthcare systems through over-commercialization, where profit motives override public health needs, and policies that, whether by action or omission directly harm populations. SPHHT also exposes the emergence of Hippocratic bioterrorism, wherein healthcare systems and biomedical knowledge are weaponized by governments or dominant institutions to inflict harm under the pretense of care. This theory critiques the prevailing focus on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as the primary measure of national progress, advocating instead for a model that prioritizes Gross Domestic Happiness (GDH) and genuine citizen well-being. Through the lens of SPHHT, investments in healthcare infrastructure, technological advancements, and mortality management systems are revealed not merely as responses to population needs but as politically motivated strategies that often anticipate and accommodate preventable disease and death rather than eliminate them. By exposing the hegemonic dynamics underlying health governance, SPHHT calls for a paradigm shift toward equitable health systems that center individual and household well-being as the true foundations of a healthier world and true foundations of national development.
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