WE ARE IN A WORLDWIDE REVOLUTION

There is a worldwide revolution against authoritarian government, which is now spreading from the United States elsewhere, starting with the Tea Party movement. The revolution extends across Europe where people protest the austerity measures of the governments who promised more to the people than the budgets could afford.[ 18 ] It has spread throughout the Middle East in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Syria, Bahrain, Iraq and Iran, where people have fought, ousted, or killed dictators for suppression of individual rights while amassing billions of dollars from the people for their own use.

China has constant revolts, but since it has a Communist government, the leaders suppress that information; so, few hear about it. Corruption in China is rampant among the government officials as in other countries. Industries are closing because of a decrease in demand for Chinese products as laborers ask for higher wages, and the people are out of work and want food for their families all over the world.[ 14 ] All over the world, the protesters have been called as “Nazis,” “Mobs,” and by many other names by the politicians, leaders, and the press, who are in denial of what the public is saying. The same denial by the press happened in the elections in the USA 2 years ago. It is the typical defense socialists or authoritarian leaders mount in the face of criticism.[ 8 ]

This revolution involves 4 billion of the 7 billion people in the world. It is about liberty and freedom of the individual to live their own lives, uncontrolled by politicians, dictators, and corruption of institutions. This will be a historic time in civilization.

Yes, some of the revolts may be taken over by other authoritarian regimes, but the people, once exposed to freedom, will want it even more. Some of the protests make no sense, but in general, there is a fundamental theme against authority.

The freedom of the people in Iraq and Afghanistan is the freedom that others want. It is the beginning of the end of Socialism and authoritarian rule, as the masses prefer a voice in their future. This change may take a long time. In my opinion, the “Arab Spring” would not have happened without the fall of Saddam Hussein, and the recognition of the liberties that have come to men and women and some people in Afghanistan.

WE NEED A REVOLUTION TO CHANGE THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE

It is time for the revolution to come to the Practice of Medicine. The same bureaucrats who have controlled and manipulated many government programs that have failed, have designed a socialized medical system that deprives our patients of the care they need, with the acquiescence of the doctors and their organizations worldwide. It is another way for the governments to dominate the people by threatening their access to healthcare. These healthcare systems promise care for all, but in the end the care requires long waiting times, is costly because of government waste, and limits the care the patients receive.[ 2 16 ]

Yes, doctors never revolt or they rarely strike. They are not supposed to do that, but the time is coming for a revolution in medicine led by the example of their courageous neighbors, who have risked their lives for principle. Some in all revolutions have tried to appease and agree with the authorities in the hope that they would personally benefit and capture some power or escape the risk of the politicians’ wrath. In smaller scenarios, this very appeasement happens in hospitals as their administration chooses those doctors as leaders who are appeasers or “consensus” builders. Those who protest are the “disruptive physicians,” “rabble rousers,” “trouble makers,” “out of the mainstream,” etc. This scenario also happened in our national societies when the AMA and American College of Surgeons in the USA agreed to ObamaCare in the hopes of getting some concessions the Obama administration promised them, which, as usual, were never honored. It will happen in the Middle East when others try to steal the revolution from the people. More revolutions will occur until the people have their liberty. What happened to fighting for what is right for the patient and for principle?

THE REVOLUTIONS ARE AGAINST GOVERNMENT CONTROL, SOCIALISM, AUTHORITARIANISM

It is a revolt against Communism, Socialism, and Authoritarianism. It is a revolt against Capitalism that has been corrupted by greed. You cannot manipulate the free market. Russia experienced that with its maldistribution of products under Communism, which failed as a system. Companies or countries that are failing should be allowed to fail. That is life. The public is not responsible for failing management and should not be required to pay for those mistakes.[ 7 9 10 ] The revolution is about the people who want to control their own lives for their families against leaders, who think they know what is best for the people, leaders who are corrupt and use the peoples’ work and money for their own purposes.[ 1 ]

Doctors all over the world have accepted the controls imposed on the Practice of Medicine by submitting to the authoritarian governments and endless regulations. They have abandoned their patients to others who do not care about them: the politicians, biomedical industry, insurance companies, government healthcare, and in some cases, academia.

OBAMACARE, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE, GOVERNMENT MEDICINE, AND PROPAGANDA

Thus, in the USA, we have ObamaCare that was begun because of falsehoods that 47 million people in the USA do not have health insurance, an incorrect statement that was repeated in the press, and by politicians, presidents, and even the medical organizations.[ 13 ] This statement about the number of uninsured is repudiated by the facts and detailed studies, but the press does not report the truth because the press is courting the authorities for favors.[ 8 13 15 ] There were only 20 million people (6.7% of the population of the USA) who were involuntarily uninsured before the recession, as some chose not to have insurance (the young) or did not know how to get it. This misinformation in the press continued the falsehood that the infant mortality in the USA is 34^th in the world.[ 12 ] This misinformation is nothing short of propaganda, a hallmark of the takeover of liberties of the many by a few.[ 3 ] The USA probably makes more effort saving newborns than any other country in the world and records its infant mortality with honesty, while others in Europe, Asia and other countries falsify their data and declare infants less than 12 inches in length or a specified weight at birth as stillborn.[ 12 ] This higher infant mortality also leads to a shorter average lifespan of the population.

Even the Wall Street Journal[ 17 ] published a graph showing how much is spent on healthcare in the USA compared to other countries, implying that the USA gets less value for its healthcare expenditures. This comparison cannot be made between the homogenous populations of Sweden and the highly racially mixed population in the USA. Other factors such as suicide, traffic accidents and murders contribute to the decreased longevity in the USA, but these are social problems, not medical issues. So, these figures, repeated endlessly, do not pass scientific examination but are accepted by many.

So, the control of medicine in the USA has been politically stolen, so others can assume control over the two or more trillion dollars spent on healthcare and the public. And the doctors are blamed for the “failures of the USA health system.” It was a planned takeover of control of medicine by others. It was part of a socialists’ political mentality that believed everyone should be equal not that everyone should start with an equal opportunity as originally intended by the founders of democratic government in the USA.[ 1 ] That commitment to equality throughout life is the mentality that promotes class warfare, which the President and his party support in the USA, penalizing those who succeed.

Europe is no better, as socialized medicine has led to excessive government expenses, as in the USA, lines of patients waiting for care, limited access to modern drugs, pain and suffering by patients[ 2 16 ] and lower survivals from cancer than in the USA, Canada, Australia and Japan.[ 4 5 ] Why should anyone care? The government is responsible. In China, those without money, 1 billion people, do not get care.

One-third of the costs of medicare in the USA are spent on administration,[ 19 ] while for other insurance companies the administrative cost is half as much.[ 11 ] Why? Government bureaucracy and job security are more important than productivity that is not rewarded.

POWER FOR THE PATIENT

It is time for the doctors to assume control of medicine for their patients. POWER FOR THE PATIENT is the motto. It is time for doctors to prepare to take over the revolution that is coming to many countries with the approaching economic disaster that will sweep the countries of the world. It is time to form healthcare programs that are good for your patients. Now is the time to plan and act!

But where are the leaders in medicine to do this? Where are the leaders to put the patient first, live for principles, and do the best they can under the circumstances in which they live? We have reactive leaders who accept the status quo in every country rather than proactive leaders. The fundamental principle is, “The Patient Comes First.” Every proposal and rule should be judged by this principle.

SNI has published papers from the developing world, which would never be published elsewhere so that the rest of the developed world can understand the difficult circumstances under which doctors practice in many countries, which includes Russia. Circumstances differ around the world but the principle is the same: To do the best with what you have for the patient.

What is needed is to re-establish the doctor–patient relationship, to take the payment for healthcare out of the control of the government and corporations, and place it in back the hands of the people. The corruption will disappear, the gaming of the system to make money will vanish, and the inefficiencies and bureaucracy will be eliminated. Doctors will be responsible to their patients who are their customers paying for their own healthcare. Doctors will be paid for their results and reputation as it should be, not as an unidentified mass in a healthcare system. Yes, there are ways to provide care for those who cannot afford to have it and there will be flaws in transitioning to such a system.

Nothing could be as bad as the politician regulated, socialized based systems which we see from the USA to countries all over the world. The principle that Socialized Medicine could provide equal care to all has failed worldwide, and its costs are bankrupting countries and making the people dependent on the government for their own healthcare rather than themselves.[ 6 10 16 ] Socialized Medicine is one of the many entitlements instituted by socialized governments that is financially bankrupting countries, states and cities.[ 6 ] Early retirement and welfare pay are among the other entitlements.

PATIENTS’ RESPONSIBILITY

Patients, and not the government, also need to take responsibility for their health. It is time to grow up and take responsibility for your own life and not expect others to support you.

PHYSICIANS’ RESPONSIBILITY

Will doctors police their own peers and establish principles of behavior, which everyone will follow? Will the overuse of procedures, as in spinal surgery, be stopped by our national organizations? Or are they too committed to the funding those biomedical industries provide for them? Is the patient or are the monies the organizations need to survive coming first? And yes, we as doctors can develop more efficient ways of delivering healthcare. Doctors need to take charge of this change and demand it. Doctors are the only people patients can rely on to protect their healthcare.

THE PHYSICIAN CODE OF ETHICS

Physicians choose medicine for the challenge of helping people. It is a tremendously satisfying challenge to use all your education, intelligence, character and soul to help a person overcome an illness. To become a doctor requires a huge sacrifice for the doctor and his/her family. Physicians are committed to their patients. In most cases, money is secondary. I have seen physicians all over the world who make a small income compared to those who make a large income. Yet, they are committed to their patients above all else. That is why the respect for physicians is so high. Neither the government nor the insurers, members of the biomedical industry, or even the hospital administrators have this dedication to the patient with secondary concern for money. They all work for money first. Yes, there is a minority of physicians that has become greedy, but in my experience with meeting many thousands of doctors worldwide, I have seen that most have a total commitment to their patient. That is why doctors need to be in charge of any healthcare system, and there needs to be a direct doctor–patient relationship between the two parties as in any other business or transaction in the world.

WHAT DOES EVERY PATIENT WANT?

What does every patient want? They want the best healthcare they can get from whatever hospital they choose. That is what they pay insurance premiums and tax dollars for. It is our responsibility to make sure it happens. There is no room for petty jealousies when the patient needs to come first. These same criticisms apply to the biomedical industries, academia, insurance companies, and the government. How will these reforms occur? If not by reason, soon, then by revolution, hopefully led by doctors who care for their patients above all else. If not, the patients will demand the change. That is what we are seeing worldwide in the revolution.

WHEN WILL THE REVOLUTION COME TO MEDICINE?

When will the revolution in medicine happen? It has already started in the USA with the majority of the public being opposed to ObamaCare, and the failure of RomneyCare, a precursor to ObamaCare, in Massachusetts. It will come. Will you be part of that revolution for your patients? Will doctors do what is right for their patients? Will they stand up for the principle: The Patient Comes First? Should your patient be treated like your family? Will doctors organize to benefit the freedom of their patients to choose what they want in their lives just like the 4 billion people are protesting across the world for individual liberty?

INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY AND CONTROL OF ONE's LIFE IS THE GOAL

I used to say that Democracy is unstoppable. I was wrong. Democracy can be corrupted. We have seen that in the USA in the last decades. This corruption of principle occurs in our medical organizations and hospitals. Individual liberty is the unstoppable force that has and will sweep the world. It is happening right now in front of our eyes. It may take generations to change the Practice of Medicine, but that too, will come.

References

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