An interview by Sara Eftekhar (UBC Nursing Student)
Dr. Ryan Meili
Dr. Meili, a family physician running to become the leader of the NDP in Saskatchewan is hoping to change the perception of negative politicians by focusing on the value of health in society.
In his new book titled “A Healthy Society, How a Focus on Health can Revive Canadian Democracy”, Dr. Meili examines health beyond the medical system with a social justice focus on the social determinants of health as a political platform. In his book, Dr. Meili captures the stories of his patients working as a family physician in the inner city of Saskatoon, Mozambique, and rural Saskatchewan who have all experienced social inequities that have affected their health.
Dr. Meili explains, “as a society, we have purely economic goals rather than human goals and I think putting health back at the forefront of what we are trying to achieve is key to changing conversation about a political system that’s actually functional. What makes a difference in health outcomes is income, education, employment, housing, nutrition, environment and lastly health care. I think once we understand that, it will allow us to make policy decisions that will actually improve health outcomes and our society as a whole.”
Dr. Meili’s sense of activism started at a young age when he reflected on his position in society and concluded that he wanted to dedicate his life to improving the lives of others and specifically working as a physician in the developing world.
Before studying medicine, Dr. Meili spent several months in South America living in different towns and learning from the people.
Dr. Meili explains, “Experiencing places like Brazil exposed me to inequalities that I had only read about in books, I didn’t really understand what poverty was in the way that it exists in so many countries. When I returned to Saskatchewan, getting involved in advocacy around the developing world exposed me to inequalities that exist in Canada and that was my motivation to work in the inner cities of Saskatoon and Northern Saskatchewan.”
Dr. Meili believes that health care providers must do the very best that they can to ensure that their patients have access to their needs and if a patients’ needs go beyond the traditional medications or referrals such as housing or nutrition, then health care providers need to familiarize themselves with the resources in their communities to help those individuals. At the same time, health care providers must take action on the barriers they identify within society and advocate at a provincial and federal level in order to change the inadequacies and inequities within the system.
Dr. Meili was involved in global health projects in Africa during medical school and he adds “the perspective that you gain from being in a place where people have very little and then returning to a wealthy country, changes how you view things in the world and helps you to recognize and shape goals around meaningful outcomes for other people.” Dr. Meili also adds that becoming involved in global health exposes health care providers and students to low resource settings which means they will learn flexibility and adaptability in order to provide the best care with very limited resources.
As a student, Dr. Meili joined the Student Wellness Initiative Toward Community Health; an interdisciplinary student run clinic that brings health services to underserved populations in Saskatchewan. Dr. Meili’s key message for students is that students don’t have to be a practicing professional in order to have a meaningful impact in their communities; the voices of students are very powerful in advocating for social justice since students can often recognize the health disparities that exist amongst populations.
Dr. Meili is continuing his campaign to become leader of the Saskatchewan NDP and he continues to be involved in local and global health projects. For more information about him and his book, please visit: http://www.ryanmeili.ca/
~Sara Eftekhar