Hospital workers to stage anti-privatization demonstration outside MPP Michael Ford’s constituency office on Wednesday in response to government expansion of private, for-profit healthcare services

Ford government to double private delivery of MRIs and CT scans

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In response to the Ford government’s plans to double private delivery of MRIs and CT scans, hospital workers will be protesting at Ontario PC MPP Michael Ford’s constituency office in Toronto on Wednesday morning.

“The Ford government says the status quo isn’t working – but it’s a status quo of their own making,” said Michael Hurley, President of CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU/CUPE). “They have been underfunding and starving the public system and dangling privatization as a solution. But privatization is twice as expensive and comes with longer waiting lists. We are calling for real solutions to the hospital crisis, like concrete measures to attract and retain new staff and the addition of new beds.”

The union pointed out a recent Ontario Health Coalition report that found private clinics are illegally billing patients up to $8,000 for medically necessary services in violation of the Canada Health Act.

“Premier Ford famously claimed that Ontarians would never have to pay with their credit card, only their OHIP card. However, patients at for-profit clinics are being charged thousands of dollars,” said Sharon Richer, Secretary-Treasurer of OCHU/CUPE. “People have been told they can either pay for medically needed surgeries or face extreme wait times.”

The rally in Toronto is part of a series of demonstrations the union is organizing across communities in Ontario, as private clinics receive record funding while public hospitals operate deficits.

Who:	Mark Hancock, CUPE National President
	Candace Rennick, CUPE National Secretary-Treasurer
	Michael Hurley, President of OCHU/CUPE
	Sharon Richer, Secretary-Treasurer of OCHU/CUPE
What:	Hospital workers rally at Ontario PC MPP Michael Ford’s constituency office
When:	11:30 a.m., Wednesday, July 10^th
Where:	1832 Weston Rd. Toronto, ON M9N 1V8

RM:cj/cope491