Tory Health Platform A Recipe for Privatization: Ontario Health Coalition Bracing for Confrontation in Ontario Election

    TORONTO, May 24 /CNW/ - John Tory's Conservatives intend to hand our
non-profit hospital and health services to for-profit companies, is the
message in today's release of the Conservative health platform.
    "John Tory's Conservatives have signaled that they intend to join the
manipulative campaign led by the for-profit health industry to privatize the
health system for their own profits. Clearly Tory intends to use the
provincial election campaign to try to force more health privatization," noted
Natalie Mehra, coalition director.
    "John Tory's persistence in forcing health care privatization will lead
to unfair and costly two-tier health care," she added. "The for-profit
companies he is promoting are already charging user-fees and promoting
two-tier care as a way to maximize their revenue and increase their profits.
Tory's refusal to acknowledge the evidence that for-profit companies drive up
costs and damage the public system is irresponsible."
    "The rigorous meta-analyses of the same for-profit hospital services Tory
is promoting shows that they not only cost more, but they are also lead to a
higher rate of patient deaths as the companies cut corners to make room for
profit-taking. Already, the fastest growing costs in Ontario's health system
are produced by the private for-profit sector. Health privatization is not
innovation, in fact, it is the same old Harris agenda of ideological politics
and polarization."
    "We are prepared for a significant confrontation on the issue of health
privatization through Ontario's provincial election campaign because it is so
important to the future sustainability and fairness of the public health
system," she concluded.

For further information: Natalie Mehra, cell: (416) 230-6402