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| Dr. Nuala Kenny, professor of bioethics and founder of Dalhousie's Department of Bioethics |
Health care in all developed countries is in crisis, Kenny explained. Canada and the United States each face their own crises based on their different existing policies, and developing these policies is no easy feat.
ÒHealth care is of moral, ethical importance,” noted Kenny. ÒWhy is it such a hot topic? Because it protects our opportunity to pursue goals; it reduces pain and suffering; and it prevents the premature loss of life.”
Kenny believes public policy is a moral endeavor. ÒIt is a decision made by some for others Ð others who are not at the decision-making table. It creates possibilities for some and excludes others. It has to respect diverse values but find enough value agreement to make a decision for the common good.”
Further fueling the health care issue is our aging society.
ÒYou canÕt believe how old weÕre getting!” exclaimed Kenny as she shared recent statistics on aging in Nova Scotia and Canada. ÒBut the issue really isnÕt aging; rather it is the practice of what we do. WeÕve become so focused on technology and finding a fix or a cure, that weÕre not paying any attention to the social determinants of health.
ÒWeÕve done so well at so many things that people think we can do everything,” she continued. ÒBut what people have to remember is that health care is not free Ð we pay for it for each other.”
Kenny warned that we need to watch treating aging as a disease, which is where intergenerational justice comes into play. We need to be concerned with justice and fairness between everyone Ð the young, the old and the in-between, people living now and future generations, she said.
Kenny concluded by challenging the audience to think about what we owe each other.
ÒWe no longer know how to be citizens,” she said. ÒWeÕve become so focused on individual benefits instead of looking at populations and groups. We need to refocus and start thinking again about the common good.”
Kenny, a professor of bioethics and pediatrics, founded DalhousieÕs Department of Bioethics in 1996 and is now devoted to the issue full time. She is regularly involved in policy deliberations, particularly in relation to values and Canadian health care, and is internationally recognized as a medical educator and lecturer on fundamental ethics questions in health care and policy.
The MasterMinds lecture series continues on April 19 with ÒCan you hear me now? How animals communicate in a noisy world” presented by Dr. Marty Leonard. For more information, please contact alumni@dal.ca or 494-2805.