the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Oct 14, 2024
Two plants—one in North Carolina, the other in Florida—produce 85% of the nation’s supply of IV fluids. The North Carolina plant was shut down by Hurricane Helene. The Florida plant was in Milton’s path, although they were able to truck some of the inventory north ahead of the storm.
The IV solutions are used for in-home dialysis and for people who rely on IV nutrition, including premature babies and people who rely on tube feeding to survive. The U.S. now has to ration these life-saving IV fluids. Hospitals are now only getting around half of their typical supply. U.S. officials have approved airlifting more from overseas manufacturing plants.
Even before these storms, supplies were tight. Over-concentrating production of these vital fluids is a recipe for shortages. The problem is that few companies are willing to produce these low-cost and, more importantly, low-profit medical products. This reveals a critical flaw in capitalism: production for profit, instead of production for human need. And this inevitably means that some people will die.