When are we truly doing good? This is a question that continually drives our organisation. As a patient advocacy group, our mission is to support cancer patients and work towards their well-being. In my view, we are doing good when we help others to flourish and contribute positively to society. 

Working with patients, advocates, researchers, clinicians, industry professionals, regulators, and all stakeholders in healthcare, I see people who genuinely want to do good. And yet, sometimes, they don’t succeed. 

Despite these good intentions, significant inequalities persist—between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, between wealthy and less wealthy nations within Europe, and even within my own (very) wealthy country. Economic disparities influence healthcare access, despite universal agreement that they shouldn’t. So why do these inequalities continue to exist? Because we are all, in some way, contributing to the Medical-Industrial Complex. 

In 1962, Dwight D. Eisenhower, one of the most respected generals and former Presidents of the United States, warned the nation in his farewell address:

Beware of the Military-Industrial Complex!

He cautioned that the relationship between the military, government, and industry did not always serve the best interests of the American people. 

Similarly, the Medical-Industrial Complex does not always work in the best interests of patients. Unintentionally, yet inevitably, competing interests arise. Too often, patients become part of a business model—where more patients mean more profit. This is precisely why prevention efforts struggle to succeed. We know how to reduce cancer risk, yet prevention lacks financial incentives. There is no clear business model for prevention—though I believe there could be. 

Last week during our World Campus, our monthly global meeting, we had an inspiring presentation from Professor Ntizimira on palliative care. He began by explaining the philosophy of Ubuntu: “I am because we are.” As individuals, we exist only in relation to others. We all want and need to live together, and this is why we continue to encounter people who genuinely wish to do good. 

However, distractions pull us away from our core mission. In our field, that mission is patient care. When we lose sight of this, we risk making decisions that do not serve the patient’s best interests. The solution? Bring all stakeholders together and start with the “why.” Show why we must help the less fortunate. Ultimately, the key is to remain humane—and to stay aware of the Medical-Industrial Complex, which can divert us from that essential purpose. 

Peter Kapitein
Patient Advocate Inspire2Live