Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 10, 2026

A Chronic Cardiac Ischemia Model in Swine Using an Ameroid Constrictor
Published on: October 9, 2017
The cardiologist--a chained Prometheus
Robespierre Queiroz da Costa Ribeiro1
1Secretaria de Estado de Saúde de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil. rqueiroz@cardiol.br
Insights
Healthcare resources are misallocated, prioritizing costly treatments for diseases like cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes over cost-effective health promotion. This approach neglects preventative strategies, leading to healthcare inequities.
Area of Science:
- Paleomedicine
- Public Health
- Health Economics
Background:
- The Flexnerian model of medical education and practice remains dominant.
- Knowledge of disease burden and determinants is extensive.
- Current healthcare systems face challenges in effectively addressing major diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically review deviations from the Flexnerian model.
- To analyze resource allocation in healthcare.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of health promotion versus treatment.
Main Methods:
- Critical review of existing literature.
- Analysis of paleomedicine perspectives.
- Examination of healthcare resource allocation patterns.
Main Results:
- Significant resources are allocated to treating ischemic cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
- Risk factors for these diseases are well-understood and modifiable through health promotion.
- Health promotion is a more cost-effective strategy than biotechnology.
Conclusions:
- Current healthcare practices deviate from optimal resource allocation.
- There is an overemphasis on individual treatment over population-level health promotion.
- This imbalance represents a significant healthcare injustice.
Abstract:
This critical review discusses the deviations from the Flexnerian hegemonic model of medical practice, carried out under the point of view of paleomedicine and relevant evidence from research. If we, on the one hand, have the required and sufficient knowledge on the burden of diseases that afflict mankind and its determinant factors, on the other hand the attention turns to strategies that do not have an effective impact on such diseases, consuming a larger portion of resources directed to healthcare: ischemic cardiovascular diseases, followed by type 2 diabetes mellitus. Their risk factors are well-known and have been shown to be controllable through health promotion actions, which constitute a process technology that is more cost-effective than biotechnology. However, we choose to apply large part of the financial resources on the care of the affected individual to the detriment of health promotion in the general population, who goes without this benefit, which characterizes an injustice in terms of healthcare actions.
Related Concept Videos
Cardiomyopathy V: Interprofessional Care
Cardiomyopathy II: Dilated Cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy IV: Restrictive Cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy III: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy I: Introduction and Classification
Coronary Artery Disease V: Interprofessional Care
