New cancer foundation will aid health care

Local research brings many benefits, writes Ali H. Rajput.

I read with much interest the article on the formation of the new cancer foundation of Saskatchewan in the Jan. 17 issue of the Starphoenix and Leader-post. This is a very important development for the future of health care in this province.

I am confident that this seed will grow and bear fruit. This foundation will raise funds which will all stay in the province for better patient care and research. It is also noted that this is “falling in line with the rest of the western provinces …” indicating that the other provinces have been doing this for some time. This development would be helpful for the Saskatchewan public to better understand some important aspects of medical care and medical research in the province.

I have been in medical practice and research in Saskatchewan for more than 50 years. Within one year of arriving in Saskatoon I realized that the Canadian “equalization” formula notwithstanding, there was no interprovincial equalization for the standard of health care.

I was seeing patients with a fairly common disease. In several other Canadian provinces, such patients had access to a new and highly effective drug. Experts from other provinces could not possibly look after the large number of our patients — either I provided that care or it would not be available to my patients.

I requested permission from Health Canada for the use of that drug in my patients. I was informed that I must be a “researcher” before I could prescribe the drug. That brought home the importance of research in medical care. I complied with the research requirement of Health Canada and was allowed to use the drug for my patients.

Very soon I recognized that most of the patient-based research in Canada was funded locally. No matter how dedicated I was, I needed some support to pursue research. To my pleasant surprise I was offered much volunteer support for a variety of functions needed for my research. Based on the advice of a wise senior colleague, Dr. L. Horlick, we formed a provincial registered charity in the early 1970s.

We have some of the best and the most dedicated doctors in this province. Research brings another dimension to health care. You work at the advancing edge of knowledge.

Unlike some other provinces, there are not many very rich people in Saskatchewan, but they are very generous in many other ways. With wide public support beyond money, we were able to build the best program of its kind in the world in a highly competitive medical field. If we could succeed, I am confident there are many others who can do the same. But they need the necessary support. Provincially based charitable organizations will play a major role in that.

Saskatchewan people are very honest and generous, but at times they are naive. They are told by some people that using their funds, the research which will be done at other Canadian institutions would equally benefit this province. That deprives this province of the opportunity to develop our own research capacity. When I make a discovery, I share that with all the Canadian provinces and indeed the world. This province implemented the universal health-care model which was later copied by rest of Canada.

We used to have some successful local disease-specific organizations which supported health care and research. Some of those were terminated. We are now finding out that other provinces are looking after themselves while we play generous donors.

We are disadvantaged at the national funding competitions because we have small institutions and have limited representations on those committees. Under the right circumstances we can compete nationally and internationally, and I know how to do that. We must build and sustain successful research programs if we are to catch up with the other institutions and provinces.

It is my sincere wish and hope that the formation of this new cancer foundation of Saskatchewan will be an inspiration for the development of new patient care/health research organizations in this province.

Rajput is distinguished professor of neurology at the University of Saskatchewan.

Research brings another dimension to health care. You work at the advancing edge of knowledge.