By Mario deSantis, March 13, 2000

It is really funny to reflect on the assembly work "The Deklein and Fall of Canadian Medicare?(1)" by our assembled most renowned health economists and then understand that these same health economists have been major players in the decline--not deklein--of our health care system. In the last few articles(2)(3), I referred to Dr. Steven Lewis, one of the author of the above mentioned assembly work, and how his revolutionary vision for blowing up empty beds and substitute home care for acute care have indirectly caused the gambling casino we have to day for health care in Saskatchewan(4).

At the time of writing those articles I didn't know the kind of participation Dr. Lewis has had for destroying health care in Saskatchewan; but today, as I have reviewed the brochure "A Saskatchewan Vision for Health" I realize the real damaging impact of this reductionist health economist. In fact, Dr. Steven Lewis was the Executive Director of the Health Services Utilization and Research Commission (HSURC) of Saskatchewan, and this same Commission was described in the above mentioned Vision as a key component for the evaluation and improvement of our health care system.

An excerpt of this Saskatchewan Vision states that "The commission will provide scientific evidence on which to make important decisions about quality health services and getting value for tax dollars. This information will be of great use to the general public, health professionals, health districts and the Department of Health in making the best possible decisions about health programs(5)." Isn't this excerpt a laugh? Dr. Lewis has provided our Big Brains, including members of the Board of Commissioners(6), with the scientific evidence of the changes needed in health care and the result is the kind of gambling casino we have to day in Saskatchewan and indirectly in Canada.

Now, we all can appreciate the scientific work coming out of the Commission when we refer to their research "Assessing the Impact of the 1993 Acute Care Funding Cuts to Rural Saskatchewa n Hospitals(7)." In this research, the Commission claims that rural health has improved since health reform were implemented in 1993. I found this research utterly void of any common sense(8) and especially so today when in response to the closure of the Carrot River Hospital the local Reeve Stan Novogrodski has stated "As Reeve of the Rural Municipality of Moose Range No. 486, I have instructed the administrator to take down the tattered and torn Saskatchewan flag at the Municipal Office and not to replace it, as my faith in today's Saskatchewan government is completely gone(9)." There is only one thing left for us to do, take down this government and help Reeve Stan Novogrodski take up again a new Saskatchewan flag.

Endnotes

Quote by Donella Meadows "challenging a paradigm is not a part-time job. It is not sufficient to make your point once and then blame the world for not getting it. The world has a vested interest in, a commitment to, not getting it. The point has to be made patiently and repeatedly, day after day after day" ftp://sysdyn.mit.edu/ftp/sdep/Roadmaps/RM1/D-4143-1.pdf http://iisd1.iisd.ca/pcdf/meadows/default.htm

General reference: Articles by Mario deSantis published by North Central Internet News

1. The Deklein and Fall of CanadianMedicare?, by Professors Robert G. Evans, Morris L. Barer, Steven Lewis, Michael Rachlis, Greg L. Stoddart. http://www.chspr.ubc.ca

2. The highest priority to cure health care: stop mismanaging it! By Mario deSantis, March 7, 2000

3. A Partial Diagnosis of Health Care Corruption: The Quality Circle of the Big Brains Includes Our Renown Health Economists, by Mario deSantis, March 9, 2000

4. Pat Atkinson: raising the finger and turning healthcare to a gambling casino, by Mario deSantis, February 3, 2000

5. A Saskatchewan Vision for Health, The Honourable Louise Simard, Minister of Health, August 1992, page 13, Saskatchewan Health

6. Dr. Dan de Vlieger is Past President of the Health Services Utilization and Research Commission (HSURC) of Saskatchewan. Dr. de Vlieger is Professor of Political Science, University of Regina and Past President, Canadian Health Care Association. http://www.sdh.sk.ca/hsurc/board.htm

7. Assessing the Impact of the 1993 Acute Care Funding Cuts to Rural Saskatchewan Hospitals, by Health Services Utilization and Research Commission http://www.sdh.sk.ca/hsurc/hospital.htm

8. Fragmented Research comes to the help of Saskatchewan Reform, by Mario deSantis, September 28, 1999

9. Hospital closure permanent, Carrot River 'betrayed', by Ernest Unrau, The Nipawin Journal, March 8, 2000 http://www.bowesnet.com/nipawin/Z01_Story1.html