[LabComm] Campbell wasting precious public health resources on for-profit clinics, says James

[BC NDP NEWSWIRE]

NANAIMO - The Campbell government is aggressively stepping up for-profit health care in BC, NDP Leader Carole James said today. 

"The Campbell government's drive to privatize health care in BC is taking resources away from the public system and putting them into the hands of private shareholders," said James. 

James pointed to a recent disclosure from the Interior Health Authority that it will pay a private, for-profit clinic in Kelowna $615,000 to perform 480 day surgeries over the next 6 months, or $1280 per surgical procedure. 

"The Campbell government is making the wrong choices for health care in BC," said James. "They let operating rooms in some public facilities sit idle, while they push their privatization agenda for health care."

The IHA's disclosure follows similar news that other health authorities are preparing to pay for-profit clinics to perform procedures. Children's Hospital is currently seeking a private, for-profit facility to perform surgeries that could be done in the four operating rooms currently not being used at the hospital.

James said the Campbell government isn't interested in finding innovative ways to deliver public health care more efficiently. "If Mr. Campbell is really committed to public health care, he'd tell us how much it costs to provide surgery in a public facility. We know private health care delivers less service for more taxpayer dollars." 

James pointed to the Liberal government's recent move in Ontario to return private MRI clinics to the public system because it can provide services more efficiently. A study conducted at McMaster University and published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found using for-profit hospitals to provide health care would cost Canadian taxpayers over $7 billion more per year than the public system.

"We need to look at innovation in the public system, not privatization," said James. "For example, government could use financial efficiency models like per-surgery funding to make public healthcare services more efficient and accountable. And we could consider establishing small, non-hospital based clinics to provide outpatient surgeries."

When the Manitoba government put a private clinic back into the public system it found the for-profit clinic had been billing 30 per cent more for surgeries than it cost to provide the procedures. At the Pan AM clinic in Winnipeg, the cost per surgery is $750, but the clinic had billing the medical system $1000 per procedure.

"A 30 per cent premium for the Interior Health Authority represents $180,000 that could provide more surgeries instead of lining the pockets of private shareholders," said James.  "People are waiting longer for surgery in BC under Gordon Campbell. Now, taxpayers will pay more to have surgeries performed in private, for-profit clinics."

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