More Private Sector Help Needed

- Patients receive treatment sooner while waiting lists shrink.

VICTORIA: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) applauded St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver for putting patient care first and contracting out day surgeries to private clinics in an effort to combat waiting lists. "Almost a thousand patients will now have access to timely care because hospital administration looked to the private sector for solutions," stated CTF director Sara MacIntyre.

St. Paul's is shutting down three operating rooms and contracting out 980 day surgeries due to a shortage in operating room nurses. The surgeons performing the procedures are still from St. Paul's Hospital, there is no additional cost to the patients and the services are still publicly funded. "The only real difference," MacIntyre added, "is the surgeries will be conducted in a facility that is not government owned and, of course, patients won't have to wait another two to three months for treatment."

"The surest and fastest way to dramatically cut waiting times is to hand health care decisions back to patients. Let patients decide if they want to wait months for publicly funded treatment or if they want to pay a premium and get treatment tomorrow. Right now, private clinics are only used when hospital administrations are in desperate need of relief, it is the staff who decide how long some wait for care, not patients, they have no choice and no voice," said MacIntyre.

"British Columbians want more control and more choice over their health care decisions," concluded MacIntyre. "Public opinion polls have repeatedly demonstrated Canadians are losing faith in the government health care monopoly. A recent survey by Leger Marketing revealed 49% of BC residents support a parallel private medical system to coexist along the public one. That's an outstanding level of support. Patients and voters are not only waiting for timely care, they are also waiting on our politicians to catch up and make room for the private sector in health care."