A Saskatoon doctor wants you to think deeper about health.

In Dr. Ryan Meili's new book A Healthy Society: how a focus on health can revive Canadian democracy, health means more than healthcare.

"We get stuck on talking about doctors, talking about nurses, hospitals and medications. (They are) important things but really way down the ladder from income, education, employment, housing, and nutrition," Meili said.

Meili uses his experiences with patients in inner city Saskatoon, Mozambique, and in rural Saskatchewan.

"I share their stories in a way that highlights some of the things that need to change about our approach to politics," he said.

Meili is not a stranger to Saskatchewan politics. In 2009 he was the runner-up for the NDP provincial leadership race. When it comes to health he explained that political parties need to work together.

"We need to stop doing what left does, what right does, what everybody does which is label an idea or an approach as the other guys approach and ignore it completely," he said.

The book argues that to properly treat health conditions, communities need to look beyond medical symptoms and treat societal symptoms.

To get better health in Saskatchewan he said that we need to make sure that everyone can participate and enjoy the benefits of the “boom.”

Meili said he believes that the different approach will help everyone.

"There's been a lot of evidence in recent years that shows that the more unequal a society is the worse the health outcomes are. Not just for those poor people but actually for the wealthiest in those societies," he said.

"Something about living in a place that is really unequal ... makes health worse for all of us."

The book will be launched May 24 at Cafe Sola.