Healthcare Vs. Health Caring

I just read a short article in the magazine, Spirituality and Heath, Sept./Oct edition. The article was written by James Duffy, MD, who is the director of Religion and Health at the Texas Medical Center. He starts off by stating that our healthcare system is growing at such a rate, that it will constitute our whole gross national product within 65 years. I'm not sure if that is, indeed, a correct assumption or not, but it really gives me a frightening picture of how big our healthcare system has become. I have certainly read reports that of any modern, industialized country, we pay more for healthcare and recieve, many times, less care than other countries in the world. Yet, supposedly, we are one of the richest nations in the world, or we were. That may not be true anymore, given our national debt. There are still many people in America who earn reasonable salaries, but fewer people can afford to pay for insurance, and having insurance is no guarentee of finding medical service.

The main point that Dr. Duffy makes, is that there is a need for this country to revamp our healthcare system and create a healthcaring system. He goes on to point out the differences in each system. He comes up with 13 different points, but I'll just mention the ones that resonate most with me.

Number 1; Our healthcare system is an industry driven by the profit motive. Heathcaring describes a system motivated by compassion for our community. Number 2 strikes me as so obvious; healthcare benefits from disease, while healthcaring benefits by the preservation of wellness. Number 6 makes such sense; healthcare tries to treat disease by subjugating nature, while healthcaring realises that nature should be used as an ally in treating disease and maintaining wellness. Number 8; healthcare sytems consider religion and sprituality to be irellavent in the outcome of disease, while healthcaring recognises the human spirit in finding wellness. Number 12; healthcare has demonstrated that it is not finacially sustainable, while healthcaring models have demonstrated financial stability.

I have not included all 13 points, as they can be found in the currant issue of the magazine. The points that Dr, Duffy made, I think, is that our currant healthcare system ignores the human part of the equation, it discounts the heart and soul of people, both the people being treated, and the people doing the treating. The patient is reduced to his/her disease and symptoms and many of those doing the treating are required to treat too many people in too little time in order to make a living, thus becoming less personal and ultimately, less caring.