By Jill Sperling

Public forum takes aim at private medical care

Oct 11, 2018 | 11:50 AM

KAMLOOPS — A public forum is taking place at St. Andrews on the Square tonight, Oct. 11, highlighting concerns over private health care across the region. 

Rick Turner with the Kamloops Health Coalition will be joined by other proponents of public health care, including healthcare policy expert Colleen Fuller, to discuss the impact privatization has on healthcare resources and surgical wait times. 

“Number one: It takes doctors and nurses out of the public system, so there are fewer resources there in the public system to service most of us,” Turner said. “On top of that with the claw-backs to federal funding it means there’s less funding for health care here in British Columbia than there is in other provinces as a result of the penalties that private surgeries are bringing about.”

Turner says health care is one of the largest employers in Kamloops, which makes the issue an important one for the region. 

He says he doesn’t want to get rid of private clinics altogether, but see that they are operating within the boundaries of the law. 

1000 Ways to Heal

1000 Ways to Heal: Pain Body

4h ago

Sound Off

SOUND OFF: Celebrating Child Care Month

5h ago

The Tattle of Hastings

THE TATTLE OF HASTINGS: Airing it out

10h ago

“No more extra billing, deal with the mandate that you were given many years ago often times to help police, military, people on worker’s compensation, get them back to work quickly and leave it at that instead of trying to cash in and in the course of doing that engage in unlawful practices,” Turner said. 

The forum begins at 7:00 p.m., doors open at 6:30 p.m.