People did not matter as individuals, only in a collective and abstract sense as "the People". The State "represented" the People by repressing individuals who either had or hadn't stepped out of line. It was better if the citizenry came to see the State as a capricious and all-powerful god who must be appeased at all costs. That made it easier for the State to represent the People.
Saddam was "representing the People" when he kept donated medicines locked away in warehouses. It was better for The People if the sanctions were lifted than if their diseases were cured; therefore, the death and suffering of innocents was for the common good, and completely justified under Ba'athist ideology.