MPH student, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA.
Researcher, Global Health, Bioethics and Health Policy, Bhopal, MP, INDIA.
Indian J Med Ethics. 2020 Jul-Sep;V(3):222-226. doi: 10.20529/IJME.2020.070.
The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic is marked not only by rapid spread of the causative virus, SARS CoV-2, but also by the spread of war-like narratives. Leaders of different countries have compared the pandemic response to being at war.
In this argument paper, the authors take the stance that frequent public pronouncements of metaphors of war do more harm than good, especially when they percolate through the societal psyche and the healthcare system. We describe how the narrative of war has further dented social cohesion, an important social determinant of health, and created a rift in the healthcare system at a time of immense crisis. We express concern that such systemic instability threatens to drive a deeper wedge into the already precarious physician-patient relationship, while also putting the future of medicine at stake. Finally, we provide alternative metaphors for use in the communication strategy. The suggested metaphors are gentler, drawn from sports and ecology, and emphasize the need for cooperation and solidarity at multiple levels.
Keywords: Covid-19, war metaphor, stigmatisation, social cohesion, physician-patient relationship
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正在持续的新冠疫情不仅以 SARS-CoV-2 病毒的快速传播为标志，还伴随着类似战争的叙事的传播。不同国家的领导人都将疫情应对比作战争。
在这篇争鸣文章中，作者认为，频繁公开宣布战争隐喻弊大于利，尤其是当这些隐喻渗透到社会心理和医疗体系中时。我们描述了战争叙事如何进一步削弱了社会凝聚力，而社会凝聚力是健康的一个重要社会决定因素，并在巨大危机时刻在医疗体系中造成了裂痕。我们表示担忧的是，这种系统性不稳定有可能进一步破坏已经岌岌可危的医患关系，同时也危及医学的未来。最后，我们提供了替代隐喻，用于沟通策略。建议的隐喻更为温和，来自体育和生态学，强调在多个层面上合作和团结的必要性。
关键词：Covid-19、战争隐喻、污名化、社会凝聚力、医患关系
