A New Medical Model

   There have been a few discussions on the web regarding the coming collapse of healthcare. More educated people than myself have weighed in with excellent points. Look here and here.

   Peak oil, a falling economy, or even a profound environmental catastrophe could bring about about a collapse of healthcare. It doesn't matter how far in the distance this event might be. It is imperative that we begin to set in motion the changes that will minimize the impact that it will have on the ability to care for the sick and injured.

   On a national level, the monies needed to continue to provide services are no longer within the countries' coffers. Without the ability to purchase petrol for the ambulance, medical supplies for the individual departments, or to pay for electricity to put all of this in motion, providing

   I wish to discuss this on a more local level. It is only a matter of time before each nation will not be able to afford to give medical care to the people. Once again, we will have to rely on our own community and family for medical care.

   Historically, we in the Western world have relied on folk medicine, herbalism, and eclectic practitioners with little or no institutional medical training. Some of these 'doctors' have done more harm then good, but the majority did provide limited health care to the people.

   But I wish to draw attention to an old style of medical education that produced excellent training for practitioners. Before the hospitals and medical schools started to monopolize the medical training, most medical education came from apprenticeship.

   There are many pros and cons with this style of training. The level of learning will be limited to the expertise that the teacher has reached. But on the other hand, the practitioner will not have €200k in student loans when finished.

   Although this is an antiquated method of medical training, it will be the only option once the economy has collapsed. Current physicians will continue to provide medical coverage as best as they can. One major problem that they will face is the fact that they have been forced to rely heavily on technological diagnosis.

   Thirty or forty years ago, physicians were taught how to diagnose and assess patients with their hands and rudimentary tools. These skills will become a necessity in Austere Medicine or while practicing during a complete collapse.

   GPs and physicians will be forced to move back to the apprentice model once again. They will be challenged to provide adequate medical care without all of the current technologies, but they will manage. They will start to look locally for bright young students who would be willing to apprentice with them for ten to fifteen years before taking over their practice.

   During this time, institutional medicine will desperately cling to the old methods of teaching. They will insist that their way is still a viable option. It will be for quite some time, but if this will be a long term, multi-generational collapse, they will have to redesign their medical system.

   Lets face it. Medical colleges have been around for hundreds of years. They did fine before oil was discovered. They should be able to manage after it as well. As long as they make room for Community Oriented Medicine.