BC Health Coalition’s letter to the Editor in response to Pamela Fayerman’s blogpost on the clinics case is in today’s Vancouver Sun:

Re: Medicine Matters blog post: Dr. Brian Day vs. the B.C. government and antiprivatization foes: legal case twists, turns, March 10

Dr. Brian Day’s legal case is about more than patient access to private surgery centres. Dr. Day claims the basic principle at the heart of Canadian medicare – namely, that health care be provided according to a patient’s need, not their ability to pay – is unconstitutional.

A 2010 review of international evidence found private providers had not made major reductions to any country’s waiting lists. Studies in Canada and Europe show patients whose doctors work in both public and private systems have the longest waits.

Canada does not need health care reform via an end-run in the courts driven by for-profit clinic owners. We need the expansion of evidence-based pilot programs in our public system that have been shown to reduce waiting times for elective surgeries. We need to demand better from our leaders. Polls show the public favours investment and innovation in public health care to improve the system for all, not -profit health care that benefits only a few.

RICK TURNER

BC Health Coalition co-chair
http://www.vancouversun.com/touch/opinion/editorials/Health+care+Canada+private+versus+public/9619575/story.html?rel=7617429

Also, check out the letters from Cliff Bolt in the Comox Valley Record and Troy Zohner of the North Central Health Coalition in the Prince George Citizen.