Sicko

A new series starts on CBC radio today about healthcare. In the preview interview this morning the producer made the point that physicians can now interview patients before accepting them. With a million Ontarians without a doctor the physicians can pick and choose who will be part of their practice.

Health care is such a complex issue. South of the border hospitals actually advertise their services as a consumer item like virtually anything else. I saw a TV spot the other evening for a hospital that bragged about its low wait time for kidney transplants. Anyone waiting for a organ transplant does so with a degree of anxiety. The ad seemed almost ghoulish, feeding into the stress, yet time is of the essence for those on the list.

I will go to see Michael Moore's new documentary called Sicko, which is about the U.S. healthcare system. While Moore is more of a polemicist than an arm's length documentary maker his work is thought-provoking. Does any one system adequately meet the needs of the majority?

Probably not.

As I visit people in hospital or their homes I am aware that Jesus was a healer and that addressing body, mind and spirit was his way of life, not just a slogan. As a pastor I want to be a non-anxious presence, helping mediate the love of Christ as folk navigate their way through the medical system.