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Higher death rates in
for-profit hospitals: study
OTTAWA - If Canada switched to for-profit hospitals over 2000 more Canadians would die every year. According to medical researchers who published a major study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (May 28, 2002) death rates in for-profit hospitals are significantly higher than in not-for-profit hospitals.
"Kirby, Mazankowski and McLellan have received the answer to their questions about why Canadians should care about who owns the hospital. The definitive answer has just been published. For-profit hospitals would result in the avoidable death of thousands of Canadians a year", said Shirley Douglas, spokesperson of the Canadian Health Coalition.
Lower staffing levels of highly skilled personnel per hospital bed is strongly associated with hospital mortality rates. For-profit care providers divert resources from patient care in order to deliver profits to shareholders.
For More Information:
Michael McBane, National Coordinator
Canadian Health Coalition
(613) 521-3400 Ext.308
Click Here To Download The Full Study
Power Point Presentation Explaining Study
British Medical Journal Coverage
Click Here To Read the House of Commons
(Question Period) Exchange Regarding the New Study
Click Here to Download the Media Coverage
Click Here to Read the Linda McQuaig Article
For-Profit Health Care: It's to Die For
"Does corporate structure necessarily matter in terms of a hospital...as long as my stay in that hospital is covered by my Alberta health care?"
- Federal Health Minister Anne McLellan, The Globe and Mail, January 21, 2002
"Why is everyone afraid of private provision of health care? If the customers aren't satisfied they will go out of business."
- Don Mazankowski at Romanow Commission Hearings in Calgary, April 30, 2002
"We don't care if health care is privately delivered... Frankly we don't care who owns the institutions."
- Michael Kirby, The Ottawa Citizen, May 8, 2002
"It doesn't matter who delivers health care as long as it is delivered cheaply..."
- Dr. Wilbert Keon, The Ottawa Citizen, May 8, 2002
Op-Ed in the Toronto Star
Letter to Senator Michael Kirby from
Dr. P.J. Devereaux & Dr. Gordon Guyatt
Information on the controversial Kirby Committee
Ownership Matters: Click Here for More information on private, for-profit hospitals and clinics
Health Care costs more, delivers less at
investor-owned for-profit hospitals: major study
Press Release | Backgrounder | Download Study
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