Creating a parallel system to health care

In economics more and more academics are realising that the tools of their trade are not fit to tackle today’s big issues. They failed to predict the global financial crisis of 2007-2008, with the ensuing — and ongoing — global recession and European sovereign debt crisis. In 2009 they created the Institute For New Economic Thinking, which works through “research funding, community building, and spreading the word about the need for change”. At their annual event they propose and debate new thinking. In essence they’re laying the intellectual foundations for a new, parallel system that may prove robust enough to act as a counter-weight to the current —and insufficient — system.

Health needs an “Institute For New Health Thinking”. It needs a safe space for people to propose and debate new thinking on creating health. But who will lead this? Given the aforementioned tension between health creation and health care we cannot look to the latter for its leaders.

We can almost always learn valuable lessons from the past so let’s head back to the National Museum of Singapore.

The British, the colonial rulers of Singapore, had a rather hands-off approach to its migrant workers (as long as they kept taking opium), which left the communities to self organise. The organisations created were called “secret societies” by the British, although the Chinese name was less sinister reflecting the former’s paranoia about their possible mafia-like influence. Indeed, these organisations/societies were associated with extortion and vice but they also played a role in establishing Singapore’s social fabric including supporting new migrants.

If health care was more hands off would communities self organise to establish a new social fabric designed to create health? Call me a romantic but I’d like to think the answer is yes. We just need to create the right conditions for people to try. That’s what I think a new “Institute For New Health Thinking” should do – create the right conditions.

Let me be clear, though; I don’t want to advocate a new think tank. At Wellthcare we believe we learn by doing, and hence “do ourselves into new ways of thinking” (see our Manifesto).

Two people, friends of Wellthcare but not formally part of us (nor do they need to be), are leading the way — Esther Dyson and Rick Brush. They’ve started something called “The Way To Wellville“, the first project of their organisation, HICCup. They want to help five communities become well. They’re not saying how, nor are they defining what well means, but they’re offering to support them. I love the honest uncertainty in their work as exemplified in this FAQ:

For me, any “Institute For New Health Thinking” would learn from Esther, Rick and their five communities. It would take this empirical knowledge, organise and package it, spread the word and catalyse other communities to experiment with becoming well, however these other communities decide to define it. For me, Esther and Rick are courageous leaders laying the foundations of a parallel system that may prove robust enough to act as a counter-weight — or perhaps complement — to the current okay-but-insufficient health care system.

We at Wellthcare are actively thinking about what an “Institute For New Health Thinking” might look like and function. If you have ideas, please do get in touch.