By Carol Martin
SooToday.com
Thursday, November 23, 2006

Medicare works and Sault Ste. Marie's Group Health Centre is a good example of how it can work well, says Canadian Health Coalition Coordinator Michael McBane.

"This is a vision of the future the country should adopt," McBane told visitors at a health care town hall meeting last night at Algoma University College.

The Group Health Centre model works because it's a multi-disciplinary, humanistic system that recognizes the merits of a team approach to providing quality health care, McBane said.

"It's a comprehensive approach to health care and it's not controlled by doctors. We're in trouble in Canada because our health care system is being controlled by doctors."

McBane said that Canada's medicare system is in grave danger because of people who want to make money off it.

He and other speakers at last night's meeting offered different perspectives supporting the idea that medical care is a universal right, not something that should be for profit.

A two-tier system of medicare would result in longer wait times for people with less money and unequal access to quality, life-saving medical care, participants said.

Natalie Mehra, director of the Ontario Health Coalition, said that the two-tier system is undermining and degrading Canada's current medical system.

Wait times will not be reduced, the quality of care cannot increase but the cost will increase under a two-tier system, Mehra said.

"The Harper government will not enforce the Canada Health Act," she said. "They openly operate two-tier systems in both Quebec and British Columbia and this must be stopped."

Mehra said that Dr. Brian Day, an owner of the country's largest for-profit hospital recently elected as president of the Canadian Medical Association, is using bait-and-switch techniques on Canadians to pull their focus away from the dangers of two-tiered medical systems.

"Dr. Day doesn't care if the information he gives is accurate," Mehra said. "He is just trying to open the door to multinationals who want to come in and make money off our health care facilities."

Mehra and McBane were joined at the podium by Norm Rivard, IWA (Industrial, Wood and Allied Workers) chair for the United Steelworkers of America and Len Watson, mayor of McDonald, Meredith and Aberdeen Additional.

The event was moderated by David Harasymiw.

To find out more about the Canadian Health Coalition, click here.

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