MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 16, 2006

Quebec headed in the wrong direction on health care, says Council

The Council of Canadians denounces the Quebec government’s proposal to enable for-profit delivery of essential medical services. Under the pretext of reducing wait times, Jean Charest’s government released a white paper recommending that procedures for hip replacement, knee replacement and cataract surgery be offered by private for-profit clinics.

Quebec Health Minister, Philippe Couillard’s new plan proposes to fund for-profit clinics out of Quebec’s public coffers. According to Guy Caron, health care campaigner for the Council of Canadians, the for-profit sector will require more funding than the non-profit sector. “Businesses need to maintain profit margins,” he explains. “Treatments offered by for-profit clinics would therefore cost Quebec taxpayers 10 to 15% more. Clearly, expanding and improving the non-profit sector would be far more cost-effective than introducing for-profit clinics”

The Council of Canadians is concerned that Couillard’s plan will drain resources from the public health care sector, despite a proposed ceiling on the number of doctors allowed to practice in the for-profit sector. “There is already shortage of doctors in Quebec,” says Caron. “Quebec’s public health care system cannot afford to lose specialists.”

Finally, the Council fears that a provision allowing access to private insurance for higher quality medical treatments will result in the creation of a two-tier health care system in Quebec. “This proposal means that more affluent Quebeckers will have access to better health care services. It goes against the very core of the Canada Health Act, which seeks to ensure equal access to all.”

As Quebec opens the door to private insurance for services already covered by the province’s public insurance plan, the Council does not share Couillard’s optimism that private insurance will not be used extensively. The organization plans to present a brief to the Quebec government demonstrating that effective solutions to reduce wait times can be found in the public sector.

For more information, contact:
Dylan Penner, Media Officer, Council of Canadians: (613) 233-4487, ext. 249; 1-800-387-7177, ext. 249; .