The Script:
[ The animation takes place in a drugstore.
2 characters: Doctor and his assistant named Pill. ]
Pill: Hi, Doc!
Doctor: Hello, Pill. It's not that busy today, is it?
Pill: Yes, it's a little bit slow. I was reading a story in the morning newspaper about Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It said that more than 1 million Canadians suffer from these chronic and life-changing conditions. That's 30,000 new patients every year.
Doc: What a sad picture.
Pill: Yes, it said many patients are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, partly because no one has ever really educated Canada's health practitioners, and few ever learned about the conditions in medical school. Goverment should definitely do something about it.
Doc: It's doing alot right now, it's spending a lot of money to help people. Long term disability insurance, health care.
Pill: But does it really help? The article said that billions of dollars are being spent on disability insurance, most by the Federal Government, and that governments loses hundreds of millions in tax revenue every year as these people stop working. And the costs continue year after year.
Doc: You're right. We could do better to help them, and the answer doesn't cost alot... Do you want a candy, by the way?
Pill: Aren't candies unhealthy?
Doc: No, if they are in the right proportion. Consider this, Pill. Let's pretend one candy is a 1 Million canadian dollars. Now this is how much the Federal goverment spends right now in disability insurance payments and in lost taxes... (Animation shows a big pile of 3500 candies).
Pill: Oh, my poor teeth.
Doc: To put it in perspective, the Government is consuming 10 candies per day, 280 candies per month, just covering the disability insurance costs and lost taxes. You could put a very sweet chocolate bar in the pile to account for the provincial, local, and business costs.
Pill: And don't forget the effect it has on children, either as patients themselves, or because one of their parents has the illness.
Doc: Pill, as you know, I don't believe Government can do everything, nor should it try. But given the new research discoveries and that medical advances are already showing that we can improve outcomes for FM & CFS patients, and given the cost of chronically disabled people, this huge stack of candies, there is merit for Federal intervention, even Provincial action, just to lower their own costs, to keep from getting cavities.
Pill: But what would be a relatively inexpensive way to improve the health outcomes and lower their costs?
Doc: There are useful investments Government can make. Consider this. (Doc takes 14 candies from the heap of 3500 candies and places them in smaller piles beside the big one.): one candy would educate all health practioners so that they would know how to diagnose and treat the patients; one candy could cover the costs of educating all the patients; two candies could fund a Research Chair to provide a center of excellence for research for these illnesses; 5 candies could be budgeted to help grow the research community; and five candies could fund a national organisation with a staff across the country.
Pill: I think we should also allocate one candy for advertisements to help Canada understand what 10% of its population is living with every day.
Doc: I agree with you, Pill. And now you can easily see the difference... (Turns to the camera) It's is just a matter of being smart, if not compassionate.
[ After this animation, a form appears and invites visitors to input their name and contact information. The form then gets sent to the Health Minister (etc.) with a copy sent to the charity. ]
