Privatization Of Canadian Health Care: The Battle Starts Today



A legal battle has been reportedly avowed by a doctor who operates a private surgical clinic in Canada. It is said that the hearing will be done in British Columbia’s Supreme Court. There are fears spreading the word of mouth that the future of entire Canada’s public health system may be in a lasting threat.

The case has been put up by Dr. Brian Day, who has a private surgical for-profit clinic in Vancouver. It deals with paying the price of certain health facilities on a private basis whereas these facilities are currently provided by government free of charges. The ongoing battle’s main agenda is time. Whereas the government takes a long time in assessing and then deciding that the patient should go for certain tests and treatments, the private health care systems will make this process extremely short lived. The case is currently challenging the ban on private health care system in Canada.

The case starts today in the provincial Supreme Court in the Pacific province of British Columbia. The case is seen as a potential model example of one that has the probability to get to the bottom of Canada’s long admired universal health care system.

Under current laws, every Canadian is entitled to medically necessary services specified under the Canada Health Act, without charge. There have been many examples that will be quoted in the court that due to the wait and the lengthy procedure for the government approval, the patients either deteriorated in their health levels or died. Some of the private clinics which have opened in various areas across Canada say they can provide certain medical tests, such as MRI scans, much faster but for a price have given their full support in the help for changing the system.

Dr. Day says, “People with money should be able to buy access to health care and is challenging the right to for-profit health care under Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”

The Registered Nurses of Ontario (RNAO) expressed its opposition saying that all Canadians should be worried at Dr. Day’s actions and the challenges because the fundamental concept of care is based on the need and not on the ability to pay.

In a press release, Dr. Doris Grinspun, RNAO’s chief executive officer said, “This is an attack on our country’s health system, pure and simple. Brian Day believes and has always believed that the system exists for him and others to profit from it. Ask Canadians and the overwhelming majority considers our universal health system as part of our national identity,”

RNAO president Carol Timmings, expresses her emotions saying, “The path to improving our health system is not through compromising its core values, but instead through increasing universal access by using all health professionals to their full scope of practice, anchoring the system in primary care, creating stronger community care services and ensuring the use of evidence-based practice. Like all two-tier systems, Dr. Day’s ideas benefit only small elite, while substantially diminishing health outcomes for the rest of us”.

The court case will begin today and whole of the health industry is looking forward to it.

 


Comments

There are 0 comments on this post

Leave A Comment