Ottawa – Today’s wait time guarantee announcement is designed as part of Stephen Harper’s pre-election strategy,” said Paul Moist national president of Canada’s largest union, the Canadian Union of Public Employees – CUPE. “Canadians have a reasonable expectation to receive health care in a timely manner. They also have a reasonable expectation that this happen by working with our public health care system – not against it,” he added.
Dr. Brian Postl’s final report as the federal advisor on wait times was quietly released almost a year ago, on Friday June 30, 2006. “This report contains many key recommendations that favour strengthening the public system over the false quick fix of wait time guarantees. Prime Minister Harper must drop the political games around wait times and commit to an integrated team approach to providing health care services to Canadians,” said Moist.
Dr. Postl recognized the need for a health human resource strategy and team based care as well as wait time coordinators and patient advocates.
“Setting false expectations as part of a pre-election strategy is morally bankrupt and cheats Canadian society as a whole. We have had commissions and reports – both the Romanow and more recently the Postl reports have been ignored. Prime Minister Harper has missed a golden opportunity to do the right thing,” concluded Moist.
CUPE represents over 170,000 health care workers across Canada – from support services to surgery.
www.cupe.ca
For more information please contact:
Paul Moist CUPE national president 613-237-1590 ext. 224 or 613-558-2873 (cell); Catherine Louli, CUPE Communications 613-851-0547 (cell)