FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 19, 2002
Private clinics will mean profits, not better health care, says OPSEU
Private MRI and CT Scan clinics will mean scarce health care dollars go into private profits rather than patient care, says the Ontario Public Service Employees Union.
OPSEU, representing more than 25,000 health care workers including CT and MRI technologists at many public hospitals, says private delivery of these services could mean the “Walkertonization” of our health care system.
We know that more privatization threatens public safety and security and yet this government still appears willing to go down this road,” said OPSEU vice-president Warren (Smokey) Thomas in reaction to the Budget. “Let’s hope these would never be done by the same companies that test Ontario’s water.”
Further, companies could “cherry-pick” easier-to-serve patients and force more complex cases into the public system, says OPSEU. They could then point to the statistics to claim better efficiencies for the private system.
The recent Ontario budget failed to address the real problem, the serious staffing shortages facing public hospitals in the health science professions, said Aimee Axler, Chair of central bargaining for the 11,000 member OPSEU Hospital Professionals Division. “Clinics will also siphon off trained technologists and leave
hospitals with even greater staffing shortages,” she said.
“The budget dealt specifically with training for doctors and nurses, but there was nothing for training in the other health professions.”
“Public hospitals will be left with the sickest patients and no staff to deal with them” she said.
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For more information:
David Cox 416-443-8888 x314
Or visit us at http://www.hospitalprofessionals.org
