The Province Vancouver, B.C.
May 7, 2001
Actor Christopher Reeve: “We look to Canada with the greatest respect and admiration. Clearly, in this country, there is a system in place which really takes into account what human suffering is.”
Mr. Reeve was Honorary Chair this week of a symposium at the University of Montreal on “Spinal Cord Trauma: Neural Repair and Functional Recovery.” He praised Canadian researchers for their leadership, over the past two decades, in studying ways to regenerate damaged spinal cords, noting that such research was held back in the United States.
Comment: Critics of universal health programs often state that universal systems stifle innovation and research. On the contrary, universal systems direct their research resources to where they can achieve the greatest good, in both advancing basic knowledge and in clinical applications. Private systems direct their efforts to where they can achieve the greatest profit. These missions have some elements in common, but they are definitely not the same.