February 15, 2002
ART IMITATING HEALTH CARE?
Given the current controversies in B.C. over the direction of health care, moviegoers will have reason to wonder if art is imitating real life fears this weekend. This Friday, the new Denzel Washington film, John Q., opens in Vancouver. It is the story of a father who takes a hospital hostage so his son can have a transplant. Sounds fictitious, but SFU adjunct professor, Dr. Tom Koch, says the facts underlying the story are real.
The bioethicist bases his claim on research that he did in preparation for his latest book Scarce Goods: Justice, Fairness, and Organ Transplantation. It describes the inequalities inherent in the American organ transplant system. Koch cites as examples the more than 15 million people in rural areas of the United States who are under-serviced because they don’t have health insurance, and the people whose insurance doesn’t cover transplantation. Washington’s character is just such a person in John Q.
"The problem isn't simply one of injustice," Koch says. "The result is also a system of inequalities that effects organ supply." Koch adds the inadequacies of the U.S. health care system have resulted in people without medical coverage not being listed as organ donors. "My analysis suggests that the organ shortage in the U.S. is made far worse by the failure of the country’s medical system to assure all potential claimants access," notes Koch.
Koch say American medical literature shows African-Americans are less likely to be recommended for transplantation, and if accepted as possible candidates, are likely to wait longer for an organ than Caucasians. "Canadians should be concerned about this," he adds. "We share organs with the U.S.. Issues of access, justice, and supply affect our patients, and our organs, as well."
Praeger Publishing in the United States (a division of Greenwood Press) is the publisher of Koch’s latest book, Scarce Goods. Journalists may request review copies through the author or by faxing the publisher on letterhead at: 203-226-2571.
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CONTACT: Tom Koch, 604-714-0348, tomkoch@kochworks.com
Carol Thorbes, media/pr, 604-291-3035
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