Privatizing health care means buying and selling clinics
This week’s edition of who is saying what about public health care is compiled by Pat Van Horne.
Privatizing health care means buying and selling clinics
“It came as a complete surprise that the clinic was purchased by a large multi-clinic, publicly traded corporation listed on the (Toronto Stock Exchange) and operating mostly out of BC. Several physicians have already discussed leaving the clinic, and many had already left previously for other reasons,” stated an anonymous source, on sale of bankrupt private Manitoba clinic, Winnipeg Free Press, September 26, 2023
BC not getting its money’s worth with private long-term care
“We are rewarding them for not spending on the care. Ask for (the money) back,” said BC’s independent Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie, The Globe and Mail/Canadian Press, Sept. 25, 2023. Read the Seniors Advocate’s Billions More Reasons to Care: Contracted Long-Term Care-Funding Review Update.
Federal health minister most lobbied politician in August
“Overarching all of that … is building a sense of momentum. . .There’s great room and space for optimism, and in the next 60 days I want to start to have people feel that,” said Health Minister Mark Holland (Liberal, Ajax, ON), to the Hill Times, Sept. 25, 2023
Get it right on oral health care, says Dental Association president
“For Canadians who currently lack adequate access to dental care, their oral health needs are diverse and sometimes complex. An effective program needs to be flexible enough to meet these varied needs. One aspect of removing barriers to access is ensuring individuals can visit their dentist and get the care they need without worrying about a bill. The program needs to fully cover services and visits for these populations,” said Heather Carr, president Canadian Dental Association, to the Hill Times, September 20, 2023
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Pharmacare: Get ‘er done, says former Health Minister Philpott
“We have heard from experts from a non-partisan, non-political perspective for decades that this is something that is necessary. We all wish that it could have been done sooner and there’s enormous evidence that it would have saved lives. But let’s get on with it while it can be done. I encourage the government and their colleagues to be brave and bold and to do the right thing,” stated former federal Health Minister Dr. Jane Philpott at a news conference organized by the Canadian Heath Coalition on Parliament Hill and quoted in The Toronto Star, September 21, 2023
Study looks at systemic discrimination against Indigenous patients in BC
“The lack of urgency and neglect that Keegan experienced at the hospital suggested that he was being left to ‘sleep it off’ and echoes common experiences of stereotypes about Indigenous people (racist beliefs) shown to lead to discriminatory behaviour in emergency health-care settings,” said BC First Nations case study Remembering Keegan, CBC News, September 26, 2023
Health care administrators protest low wages in Nova Scotia
“Workers in health care administration are among the lowest-paid health care professionals in Atlantic Canada,” said the Nova Scotia Government Employees Union (NSGEU) to City News Halifax, September 25, 2023
Report looks at medical backlogs for kids’ surgeries in Canada
“This is printing in black and white the cost, not only to our health-care system, but also the cost that families must bear to have children wait. Kids are suffering, not only as they wait for care, but it also impacts their overall health, for life. It’s important that we start to put some numbers behind these long wait times,” said Emily Gruenwoldt, president and CEO of Children’s Healthcare Canada, to the Toronto Star, September 25, 2023
