By Mario deSantis, May 21, 1999

Yesterday, I scanned the StarPhoenix and my attention was drawn to the headline "Sask.'s failing health(1)." In Saskatchewan, health care has been always an important concern for many reasons; first, because the health of people is the precondition for a sustainable economic environment; second, because it takes the largest portion of our governmental budget; and third, because Saskatchewan has prided itself for creating the vision to extend medicare and hospital care to all Canadians.

The above mentioned headline makes reference to a research study conducted by Richard Plain, a health science economist with the University of Alberta. In this study, Plain states that "...In the short run, (Saskatchewan) moved from a position of excellence to one of mediocrity as far as the health of its population is concerned..." The health of a population is correlated to its health care system, and the fact that the health of our population has shown a progressive deteriorating trend since 1992 is a strong indication of the breakdown of our health care system. In particular, Plain's study shows that our provincial infant mortality rate has increased from 7.3 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1992 to 8.5 today. Further, Plain compares four statistical health indicators for Saskatchewan, B.C. and Alberta and suggests that the deterioration of the health care system in Saskatchewan has been caused by health reform. Premier Romanow introduced health reform in 1992 in order to contain health care spending which were consuming 33% of the governmental budget; oddly enough, today, health care spending in Saskatchewan has increased to some 40% of the budget(2).

Plain's study has triggered comments from many parties. Glen Beck, a professor of health economics at the University of Saskatchewan, said that the erosion of health services, particularly in rural Saskatchewan, is one reason for the overall deteriorating health, but there are probably many other factors. Beck and Plain agree that more research is needed into the reasons for the poor results in Saskatchewan. Dr. David Butler-Jones, Saskatchewan's chief medical officer said it's difficult to put much value in statistics which cover such a short time period. He added that the health of a population is also affected by other factors such as housing, education and income levels and that "...to try and link (poorer health) to health reform would be a mistake..."

Northern Saskatchewan medical health officer Dr. James Irvine and University of Saskatchewan professor Allen Backman agree with Dr. Butler-Jones. Irvine said that the poor health indicators in the north are mostly due to the substandard housing conditions rather than to the number of hospitals in the area. Backman stated that "...pre-natal care is not as important as addressing alcoholism, drug abuse and other factors... the root cause of the problem are social, not medical..."

I have written a number of articles in health care addressing problems of business ethics, of management organization, of politics and economics(3). These articles have all provided an underlying knowledge that the problems affecting health care cannot be narrowed down to specific reasons, rather they are cultural and originating in our obsolete mentality to find a reason for any problem and to look for quick solutions(4). Therefore, I don't agree with the provision of additional taxpayer money for conducting further researches, especially so, when researchers allege pressures, from the sponsoring agencies, to falsify the conclusion of their studies(5). The problems in health care, as in any other industry today, are problems of leadership and innovation as warranted by the emerged New Economy(6). In Saskatchewan, we require a new way to think where strategic plans and numbers take second place to our visions and values(7).

We can't continue conducting never ending researches to find what is wrong in our health care system and blame organizational structure, lack of money or people for our own mistakes. Problems in health care are not of a microscopic nature: most of our graduating medical doctors and practising doctors leave the province, health care workers are not happy of the policing management practices, surgery waiting lists get longer, and corruption is rampant.

Our leadership is representative of the decadence of our social fabric; we have a constitutional lawyer in Premier Romanow who used revolving bank accounts(8) to pay his office expenses, a Minister of Health in Pat Atkinson who acknowledged the neglect of the government for not listening to Saskatchewan Nurses for the last nine years(9), and an Associate Minister of Health in Judy Junor, who has stated recently "...Today, as in the past, Saskatchewan is leading the way in developing health services that are responsive to people's health needs and sustainable into the coming century..."(10)

Today, we don't need further researches to find what is wrong in our health care system. We just have to look at ourselves, and work hard to learn how to be ourselves in our thoughts, feelings and actions.

Endnotes

1. Sask's failing health, by Jason Warick, The StarPhoenix, May 19, 1999, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

2. A Number Game, by Mario deSantis, April 1, 1999. Published in the North Central Internet News

3. Refer to pertinent articles published in the North Central Internet News and listed at the site http://www.ftlcomm.com/ensign/authors/desantis.html

4. Refer to articles on System Dynamics published in the North Central Internet News and listed at the site http://www.ftlcomm.com/ensign/authors/desantis.html

5. SGI accused of meddling: Researcher claims she was told to falsify no-fault insurance study, by Kim McNairn, The StarPhoenix, May 14, 1999, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

6. LEADER TO LEADER: Enduring Insights on Leadership from the Drucker Foundation's Award-Winning Journal, Editors: Frances Hesselbein & Paul M. Cohen, Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco, 1999, www.pdf.org

7. Refer to the series of articles on the NEED OF TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGES IN SASKATCHEWAN published in the North Central Internet News

8. Premier Romanow's Latest Magics: Shuffling Numbers & Mysterious Bank Account, by Mario deSantis, May 16, 1999. Published in the North Central Internet News

9. MINISTER APPEALS TO NURSES, Government of Saskatchewan, News Releases, Apr 12, 1999 Health 99 - 287 http://www.gov.sk.ca/newsrel/1999Apr/287.99041205.html

10. SASKATCHEWAN'S HEALTH SYSTEM TAKES NATIONAL STAGE, Government of Saskatchewan, News Releases, May 17, 1999, Health 99 - 481 http://www.gov.sk.ca/newsrel/1999May/462.99051405.html