Speaking to a group of health professionals from Italy, Pope Francis denounced inadequate medical care to those most in need. He explained that the dignity of the sick must be at the center of healthcare and not the economic performance healthcare systems.
POPE FRANCIS
'When a sick person is not placed at the center and considered in their dignity, attitudes arise which can even lead to profiteering on other people's misfortunes. The growing health poverty among the poorest segments of the population is due precisely to the difficulty of access to care; do not leave anyone indifferent, and multiply the efforts of all because the rights of the most vulnerable should be protected.'
The Pope said that the throwaway culture manifests itself when the poorest can't access healthcare. For this reason, he said that while resources should be improved, they should also be done in an ethical and caring way so as not to punish the most fragile, such as the elderly and people with serious diseases.
He also stressed that the dignity of the human person should not be compromised in any way, from conception to natural death.
Pope Francis, however, didn't just focus on looming threats to adequate healthcare. The pope also recognized the work of healthcare workers, calling it a great honor and a great responsibility because 'with their hands, they touch the flesh of Christ who suffers.'
Finally, he hoped for a commitment to allocate more funding to researching rare diseases which 'are not always given adequate attention.'
