Medicare fight far from over -- OPSEU
July 31 2007
The Canadian Medical Association’s recent policy statement on
private medical care proves that the fight for Medicare is far from over.
“I would be embarrassed to be a member of the CMA today,” says
Warren (Smokey) Thomas. “Doctors fought Tommy Douglas in 1947, in 1962, and the
federal government in 1966. They’re back fighting the Canadian public again
today.”
The CMA policy statement calls for more for-profit delivery of
healthcare, and the ability of doctors to practice on two-sides of the fence,
making it convenient to funnel patients into a more lucrative for-profit
fee-based practice.
“In Ontario we already have significant for-profit healthcare
delivery in home care and long term care. These sectors have not performed well
while the costs to taxpayers have been enormous. Why would we want more of
that?”
OPSEU questions how wait times will be solved by privatization.
“Any professional drawn into the private fee-based sector will
be one less in the public sector,” says Thomas. “It may solve wait times for
those with plenty of money and expensive private health insurance plans, but not
for average Canadians.”
OPSEU is calling on doctors to reject the CMA policies and to
work with all health care professionals in making the current public system
better.
|
