The medicalization of abandonment

This reflection addresses the concept of "medicalization of abandonment," questioning the role of hospitals when they cease to be spaces dedicated to the effective treatment of diseases. The text suggests that when a hospital transforms from a place of active medical intervention into a simple waiting area, an inversion of the original purpose of medicine occurs. The central critique indicates that, in this transformation, the act of medicating no longer fulfills the function of treating the disease but rather serves as a way to legitimize the situation of abandonment of patients. The argument therefore questions whether excessive medicalization may be masking a deeper problem of institutional and social derecognition towards those who need true care.