FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December
13, 2005
New Liberal health care scheme will
bring more privatization and force patients to travel,
health workers say
TORONTO - Four unions representing
almost 200,000 Ontario health care workers say the Liberal
government will undermine patient access to local care with
its Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) plan.
The new scheme will seriously
disrupt the health care system through its creation of 14
unaccountable LHINs, the unions say. These unelected bodies
will have the power to put more health services on the auction
block and open the door to profit-seeking companies wishing to
cash in on the new system. Ontarians may also be forced to
travel much further to access some procedures.
The Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA),
the Service Employees International Union Local1.on
(SEIULocal1.on) the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)
and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) say
health care workers know how to improve health care - without
the chaos that the LHINs plan will provoke.
"Health care workers saw what
happened in home care with the CCACs: massive job loss and
disruption for patients, whole communities up in arms, but no
way to stop the process. This time, our members want to stop
the train before it leaves the station, not while it is
running them down," said OPSEU President Leah Casselman.
"The changes the McGuinty Liberals
are planning will result in the slow destruction of our local
hospitals. And the lowest-bidder approach for health services
that the Liberals are unleashing under the LHINs threatens
both access and the quality of services. CUPE believes that
the McGuinty government is forcing a confrontation with our
members, who are determined to protect Ontario's publicly
delivered healthcare services." said Michael Hurley, President
of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (CUPE-OCHU).
The four-union campaign includes
mobilizing health workers and communities against the LHINs
legislation before the Liberals push it into law early in
March 2006.
"The McGuinty government is afraid
of public scrutiny of this legislation," said Sharleen
Stewart, President of SEIU Local 1.on. "This is just the next
step on the road to more health care privatization. First it
was the continuation of the managed competition model for home
care. Then the announcements of private construction and
financing of hospitals came. Now under this legislation a LHIN
can force a hospital to transfer services to a for profit
entity. We no longer trust the McGuinty government to protect
our public health care system."
The four unions are working
cooperatively to protect patient access and ensure the
for-profit model is not extended to hospitals, long-term care
and community-based social services.
"Nurses have no objection to a
health care delivery model that genuinely increases local
influence over services, but we doubt that a plan directed by
government appointees really accomplishes this end. We reject
bringing the profit motive into the provision of care. We have
no time for the parts of this plan that will cause communities
to lose services and oblige Ontarians to travel, sometimes
great distances, in order to obtain treatment," said Linda
Haslam-Stroud, RN, ONA President.
Four union leaders representing 200,000 Ontario health care
workers address the media December 13th at Queen's Park.
L to R: Michael Hurley (CUPE/OCHU), Sharleen Stewart (SEIU),
Leah Casselman (OPSEU) and Linda Haslam Stroud (ONA).
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Contacts:
Sheree Bond, ONA 416-964 8833,
ext 2430;
David Cox, OPSEU 416-788-9197 (cell);
Stella Yeadon, CUPE; 416-578-8774; John Van Beek,
SEIU (905) 660-1800, x 319
