Live at Preventing Overdiagnosis: Disease mongering.

The unbearable tension between despair and hope.

Iona Heath is a writer, a retired GP and former president of the Royal College of General Practitioners. As a primary care physician, she worked in a deprived part of north London for almost 35 years, and with her writings has inspired many with her wisdom. She is a staunch supporter of the general practice role in improving society’s health; her latest book explores the significance of John Berger's work and their friendship on her career as a GP.

She has been part of the overdiagnosis movement since its inception over a decade ago, and what follows are some of TTE’s thoughts on her keynote at the Preventing Overdiagnosis Conference in Oxford.

Modern healthcare is currently facing significant challenges. Overdiagnosis and the exploitation of fear and hope for profit are major contributors to this troubling situation. Additionally, distortion and corruption in academic medicine create a painful tension between despair and hope. Industrial companies know how to harness fear to boost dema…