OPSEU HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS

Ms Shelley Martel (Nickel Belt): It takes a team to keep Ontario healthy. That's the theme of the campaign now underway by 10,000 OPSEU hospital professionals, to convince the Conservative government of the need to financially support a decent contract for these workers. They include X-ray and medical laboratory technologists, respiratory therapists, radiation and ultrasound technologists and physio- and occupational therapists, to name but a few. They are the people who run the heart pump during heart surgeries, process the biopsy to determine if it's malignant or test a kidney to be transplanted to ensure the recipient doesn't get hepatitis.

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Ontario hospitals can't work without therapeutic, diagnostic and rehabilitative services. Professionals delivering these critical services must have their valuable contribution recognized. That means paying them decent wages to keep them in the hospital system instead of driving them out.

Without a commitment to pay allied health care professionals properly, it will be even more difficult for Ontario hospitals to recruit and retain the staff needed to provide doctors and nurses with the information they need to correctly diagnose and treat patients. A shortage of these professionals does negatively impact on health care, and we must recognize that.

Central bargaining between OPSEU and the Ontario Hospital Association has broken off, with no more bargaining dates scheduled. The Minister of Health could positively influence the situation by publicly indicating that proper funding for hospital professionals will be given to the OHA to bargain a decent contract.

We need these health care professionals to keep Ontario healthy. Let's pay them what they deserve.

Hansard, Wednesday June 5, 2002