Just days left to stop contracts with private clinics
- Details
- Published on Thursday, 28 May 2015 10:15
- Written by editor
...
Paov --
We're just one day away from Island Health's
deadline for proposals from private clinics to deliver public
surgeries.
Can you send Island Health and Health Minister
Terry Lake a message now calling on them to scrap plans for massive
contracts with for-private clinics in IHA and across
B.C.?
Why put tax dollars into expensive,
risky for-profit clinics while public Operating Rooms stand
empty?
Send a message now. We need real
solutions to wait times that won't compromise patient safety and waste
public funds.
See our original email below.
Thank
you,
Rick Turner, BC Health Coalition co-chair
Paov --
Many of B.C.’s public hospital Operating Rooms stand
empty for hours and hours every week - but a recent policy
paper from the Ministry of Health shows they are considering signing
over more public surgeries to expensive and risky private, for-profit
clinics.[1]
The province’s policy paper is still under consideration. But in the meantime, Island Health plans to farm out 55,000 procedures to for-profit clinics over the next five years.[2] This is a costly bandaid solution that will do little to increase health care capacity in the long run.
We need to send a clear message to Island Health and Minister Terry Lake now, otherwise we could see a massive increase in contracts with for-profit clinics on Vancouver Island and across the province.
Evidence shows for-profit facilities are not as safe as public facilities. Researchers estimate that if all Canadian hospitals were converted to for-profits, there would be an additional 2,200 deaths a year.[3]Tell Health Minister Lake and Island Health that we need affordable, safe public solutions to wait times, not expensive contracts with for-profit private clinics that put people at risk.
One in seven private health-care clinics in Ontario have failed provincial safety inspections. Since 2011, Hepatitis C outbreaks at three private colonoscopy clinics have caused at least 11 patients to become critically ill.[4]
And international evidence shows that private clinics have not helped reduce wait times anywhere in the world - in fact, for-profit clinics make wait times longer by draining health care professionals from the public system.[5]
In spite of this evidence, the Ministry of Health’s policy paper reveals that the province is considering making contracts with private, for-profit clinics a permanent part of delivering public surgeries in B.C.
The province is even considering changing B.C.’s laws to allow for-profit clinics to keep patients for up to three days. This legislative change would basically create full-blown private hospitals in B.C.
Both Island Health and the Ministry of Health are making crucial decisions about health care contracts now. Island Health requested proposals from private clinics by the end of this week, and the Ministry of Health is currently soliciting feedback on their policy paper. They need to hear from British Columbians now.
Ask Minister Lake and Island Health to pursue proven solutions, some of which are outlined in the ministry’s policy paper: using our public hospitals’ existing surgical capacity, addressing staffing shortages, and scaling up successful programs that have already reduced wait times dramatically.
Ministry of Health data shows that only 82% of public main Operating Rooms (ORs) are regularly staffed, and in the summer almost one quarter of public day-time OR capacity is closed.[6]
Why put tax dollars into expensive, risky, for-profit clinics while public Operating Rooms stand empty?
We know costs in for-profit clinics tend to be much higher than the public rates.
Island Health has abandoned contracting with for-profit clinics in favour of public system solutions before and they should do it again - the health authority succeeded in cutting wait times for cataract surgery by streamlining wait lists and finding efficiencies in the public system.[6]
The Ministry of Health and Island health have a clear choice between strengthening the system for everyone in the long run and investing in expensive stop gap measures. They need to hear from British Columbians who want to them make the right choice.
With thanks for your commitment to timely care for all,
Rick Turner, BC Health Coalition co-chair
p.s. The public response to the media coverage on Island Health’s plans has been outrage – let’s make sure that health officials get the message directly: click here to send your message now.
Sources:
[1, 6] “Future Directions for Surgical Services in British Columbia”, BC Ministry of Health and the Provincial Surgical Executive Committee, 2015
[2] Island Health Authority RFP, http://www.bcbid.gov.bc.ca/open.dll/showDisplayDocument?sessionID=1070572348&disID=29360831&docType=Tender&dis_version_nos=0&doc_search_by=Tend&docTypeQual=TN
[3] “A systemic review and meta-analysis of studies comparing mortality rates of private for-profit and private not-for-profit hospitals.” Canadian Medical Association Journal, P.J. Devereaux et al.
“Comparison of mortality between private for-profit and private not-for-profit hemodialysis centres: a systemic review and metaanalysis.”Journal of the American Medical Association, P.J. Devereaux et al.
[5] Keindler, SA. Policy Strategies to reduce waits for elective care: A synthesis of international evidence.
[6] http://www.nanaimodailynews.com/news/wait-for-cataract-surgery-reduced-at-nrgh-1.280037
http://bchealthcoalition.nationbuilder.com/ British Columbia Health Coalition · 3102 Main St, 302, Vancouver, BC V5T 3G7, Canada
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