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'Wouldn’t the profits made by McKesson Canada be better used in the public system?' - Joan Jessome.
Halifax (30 March 2009) - The Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union (NSGEU/NUPGE) is strongly opposed to having a private, for-profit operator run the proposed new telecare service announced by Health Minister Karen Casey.
“Why would the government be willing to sign a three-year contract worth almost $20 million in total to a business when we have a system of nine District Health Authorities and 37 community health boards whose job it is to provide such vital services?” asks NSGEU president Joan Jessome.
"Wouldn’t the profits made by McKesson Canada be better used in the public system?
Jessome says the province has experienced a slowdown in surgeries this month at the Capital District Health Authority (CDHA) and there are now new warnings of a crisis in seniors care in Cape Breton with the resignation of two geriatric specialists. They cited a lack of support services from their district health authority.
"We can’t afford to give away tax dollars as profits to private companies,” Jessome says."
She also expressed concerns about the potential implications of this for-profit service for existing health care workers.
“This type of arrangement opens the door to a possible significant expansion of many other existing services operating in the public system. This is a very dangerous precedent that further undermines the public system,” she says.
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The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE