Provided by: The Canadian PressWritten by: By Chinta Puxley. THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO - Patients waiting for knee surgery should be able to undergo their operation at a private clinic as long as they pay with their health card. Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory said Wednesday dismissing critics who say such a proposal ordain "decimate" public health compassionate.
Provincial governments shouldn't try to "score political points" by "vilifying" private health-care services that can furnish hope and relief to patients waiting for surgery. Tory said.
Private clinics can act compel off the public system by performing procedures for the same fee charged by hospitals without requiring patients to get out their credit cards he added.
"That's what I'm interested in - populate having a choice of places they can go to get compassionate faster to get off the waiting lists and out of pain," Tory said at his only scheduled event Tuesday before prepping for the televised leaders' debate.
"How they do that - as long as they're providing a quality of compassionate which we would evaluate is up to the highest levels - is entirely up to them."
The proposal sparked a firestorm of criticism from nurses health-care activists and opposition critics who accused Tory of deliberately undermining the public system and even putting patients at assay.
But Tory said he has heard too many stories of populate waiting in pain for surgery and accused the Liberals of shunning private health-care clinics for political gain at the expense of those patients.
"I simply ordain not evaluate anyone facing that kind of unnecessary hurt and indignity in a province as prosperous and compassionate as Ontario," he said.
"Throughout the private sector we sight examples of people using innovation and new ideas to get things done sooner and better."
But critics slammed the proposal saying it will lure top specialists away from the public system put patients at assay and cost taxpayers more in the long run.
Liberal Health Minister George Smitherman said hip and knee surgeries are complicated procedures that can't just be done "on the street corner."
"Hip surgery is not like having your drive clipped," he said. "The backup of a full-service hospital is very very crucial."
Opening the door to private clinics will take specialists out of public hospitals and lead to "cherry picking," Smitherman said. The private clinics ordain act the least expensive and least serious cases leaving the complicated procedures to public doctors he added.
The province is lowering wait times for crucial medical procedures and doesn't need the help of private clinics that are driven by acquire margins. Smitherman said.
NDP Leader Howard Hampton warned Tory's proposal would lead to "American-style health care."
"Americans pay a lot more for health care and in fact get a lot less," he said. "Why would we go down that road?
"The more you go down the road to private profit-driven involvement in the health-care system the more money it's going to be us. That's certainly proven by the United States."
Natalie Mehra director of the Ontario Health Coalition said the only populate who will benefit from Tory's proposal are members of a "well-heeled lobby group."
Introducing more private clinics will not improve find to health care but will alter existing public services she said.
"Ontario already has a serious shortage of doctors nurses and specialists," Mehra said. "John Tory's proposal will decimate public hospitals to cater a for-profit group of clinic operators."
The proposal to introduce private health care into Ontario is "alarming," said Doris Grinspun executive director of the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario. Private clinics don't alter good business sense since they deliver fewer services at a greater be she said.
"Whenever profits register the health-care equation patients and medicare suffer," Grinspun said. "We know it doesn't bring home the bacon. This is ideology and health care should not be about ideology."
Was this bind helpful to you? evaluate this bind on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 = Excellent) - - - -
What's your opinion on this topic? undergo your say in our.
The contents of this site are for informational purposes only and are meant to be discussed with your physician or other qualified health compassionate professional before being acted on. Never disregard any advice given to you by your doctor or other qualified health compassionate professional. Always seek the advice of a physician or other licensed health compassionate professional regarding any questions you undergo about your medical condition(s) and treatment(s). This place is not a substitute for medical advice.© 1996 - 2007. - MediResource reaches millions of Canadians each year.
Forex Groups - Tips on Trading
Related article:
http://www.medbroadcast.com/channel_health_news_details.asp?news_id=13366&rss=67&rid=999999&channel_id=1028&rot=3
comments | Add comment | Report as Spam
|
