Madam Speaker, on January 27, I asked the hon. Minister of Health about a central principle of the Canada Health Act: equal access for all Canadians to health care.

In many places across this country, including my home province of Saskatchewan, wealthy Canadians are getting preferred access to health care services; most notably, MRIs.

Because the Canada Health Act outlaws user fees, and the unequal access to health services is contrary to both the spirit and the letter of the law, I asked the health minister when she would act to enforce the Canada Health Act and crack down on private payments.

The minister's answer was that she had met with provincial and territorial health ministers and that she is “determined to make sure that Canadians will always be able to access the appropriate care they require based on need, and not ability to pay”.

While I was encouraged to hear of the minister's strong commitment to the Canada Health Act, I regret that, to date, the minister has yet to announce what she will do to uphold this commitment.

I am gravely concerned that Saskatchewan is not only allowing but actually encouraging the privatization of health care; namely, private MRI services.

Where is the universality of access if special access to MRIs is given to those who can afford to pay?

The Saskatchewan Medical Association, which represents the province's doctors, is opposed to the two-tiered MRI system. The SMA has said that the policy has been implemented hastily and that there is no clear evidence that offering private scans will lead to shorter wait times for the public.

Dr. Ryan Meili, of Canadian Doctors for Medicare, notes that although Alberta has the second-highest number of diagnostic imaging scanners per person in Canada, it also suffers from the longest wait times.

The real impact of private-pay imaging clinics is to give those with money an advantage in obtaining necessary surgery.

Private MRIs can cost anywhere from $700 to over $2,000 each. While this cost may be acceptable for some Canadians, it is virtually unaffordable for many more. Canada's health care system was designed as part of our social safety net to ensure everyone is able to access necessary exams.

Canadians are proud of our universal health care system, but we must work to strengthen and expand it, not carve off pieces to be sold to the highest bidder. One of the driving forces behind the creation of our health care system is the principle that health care should be available to Canadians based on need and not the ability to pay.

For-profit clinics are only beholden to their owners' or shareholders' bottom line and not the well-being of patients. There is an inherent conflict of interest in allowing for-profit operators into a publicly funded health care system that seeks to provide medical services for patients, regardless of their income level.

Just today, we heard about allegations that a private health clinic in Calgary is trying to pressure its doctors into giving preferential treatment to fee-paying patients.

A two-tiered health care system only exacerbates unequal access for Canadians. More than 6,000 people are waiting for an MRI in the province, making it the longest wait list of any special imaging service.

Today, there are two for-profit MRI clinics in the Regina area, but one in Saskatoon and not one in the north. It is not difficult to see that for-profit providers will locate where it is good for them, not necessarily where patients need the services to be.

Indeed, the SMA has said that creating dual access to MRI scans does not reduce surgical wait times. It also suggests it could lead to queue-jumping for surgery because those with a completed scan could see a specialist sooner.

The minister and the government have to protect public health care across the country by disallowing for-profit clinics and private service providers.

When will the minister act?

Sheri Benson

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