November 7, 2008

Saskatoon: “There needs to be changes to our public health care system, but privatizing support services is not one of them,” CUPE National President Paul Moist said in Saskatoon yesterday – the same day the Saskatchewan government launched its “Patient First Review” of the health system.

The Saskatchewan Party swept to power last year after promising its proposed review of health services would not consider health care privatization. Only months after the election, Saskatchewan’s Health Minister confirmed privatization would be part of the review’s mandate.

“We’ve been to this dance before,” Moist told delegates at CUPE Saskatchewan’s Solidarity Conference. He warned: “Privatizing health services will not solve the problems in health care, they’ll compound them by leading to longer wait times and reduced patient care.”

Moist also chastised the government for referring to the health care system as a business that serves customers. “Our health care workers don’t serve customers, they serve citizens by providing quality public services.”

He suggested one way the government could improve the public health care system is to “staff it properly” as understaffing remains a huge problem.