NDP Health Critic France Gélinas blamed the McGuinty Liberals for failing to prevent the expansion of private, for-profit health clinics in Ontario.

Gélinas reminded Health Minister Caplan of his Government’s 2003 promise to “support the prohibition of two-tier medicine, extra billing and user fees,” and asked that the Government honour these promises and take concrete steps to protect the public health care system.

The Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) released a report yesterday that raised alarm bells about the practices and far-reaching affects of private for-profit clinics operating across Canada and in Ontario. The OHC report found that not only do these clinics charge steep enrollment and annual fees for medically necessary services, are only accessible to a very small number of rich Ontarians , are double or triple billing, OHIP, private insurers, WSIB, and users—they devastate the public non-profit health care system.

Gélinas spoke of the harm that these private, for-profit clinics have as they poach the public system of its technicians, physicians and other health professionals; and leave the vast majority of Ontarians to face longer waiting times and reduced access to necessary medical procedures.

Gélinas called on the McGuinty Liberals to “develop a real plan that can put a stop—once and for all—to the operation of these private for-profit clinics and enforce the Canada Health Act’s commitment to equal access to health care for all Ontarians.”