Mr. Fyke has a long history of expertise in health care, and I believe he had some role along with the other expert Brian Rourke, fixed chair of the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations (SAHO), in the digging of the hole in the ground for the closure of the Plains Health Centre in Regina(2). Rourke and Fyke have a superior expertise in health care, however while Rourke has stated that "there's a need for more money in the system," Fyke disagrees and says that more money is not the answer.

Hypocritical Rourke and Fyke, along with any level of governments, have both supported the blowing out of acute health care beds in order to downsize the medical and nursing expenses(3). And today, Rourke says "the total per-capita spending on acute-care services is lower in Saskatchewan than any other province." And Fyke says "A decade ago patients may have spent a couple of weeks in hospital after surgery and received their prescribed drugs at no charge. Now they are often discharged after 24 hours and are required to pay for their own drugs... In the interest of fairness and equity that can't continue."

Doctors have been downsized and excluded from participating in health reform and Fyke may have another surprise for doctors. He says "physicians have worked as private practitioners, and been solely responsible for their decisions. In a new teamwork model, some may find it difficult to change and share the responsibility with nurses and other professionals."

Fyke has also stated that there is a need for a national inquiry, and he would be delighted if another commission follows in his wake. And there is the fervent speculation that Roy Romanow may head this commission. So after the Saskatchewan Way, Mr. Romanow could be building another vision, the Canadian Way, and follows Mr. Fyke's approach to mail out questionnaires, this time not 400,000 but millions of questionnaires.

In conclusion, I agree with Mr. Fyke's assessment that the health care system needs fundamental shift in thinking, and I suggest that this fundamental shift of thinking would begin with his own big brain.

References/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 The Global Citizen, http://www.tidepool.org/gc/

List of relevant social articles http://www.ftlcomm.com/ensign

Lack of vision, unstable funds hurting health care: SAHO, by Barb Pacholik, December 5, 2000, The StarPhoenix, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

More money not answer: Fyke. Says health-care system needs fundamental shift in thinking, by Mark Kennedy, December 28, 2000, The StarPhoenix, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

1. Fyke's Medicare Survey and the Psychology of Influencing People, by Mario deSantis, October 27, 2000 http://www.ftlcomm.com/ensign/desantisArticles/2000_200/desantis252/fykessurvey.html

2. The closure of the Plains Health Centre: The $50 million overrun and the gimmick of saving money in health care, by Mario deSantis, December 19, 1999 http://www.ftlcomm.com/ensign/desantisArticles/desantis94/plainsclosure.html

3. Minister of Health Pat Atkinson:"Wellness Model" is outside the Canada Health Act, by Mario deSantis, March 7, 2000 http://www.ftlcomm.com/ensign/desantisArticles/2000/desantis133/hsurc.html