Health Advocates Rally for Home Care Across Province

HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA--(Marketwired - May 6, 2015) -

Editors Note: There is a photo associated with this press release.

The Nova Scotia Citizens' Health Care Network, a patient advocacy group, organized demonstrations in front of 9 MLA offices around the province to protest the privatization of home care. Concerned citizens and caregivers rallied Amherst, Antigonish, Bridgewater, Glace Bay, Halifax, Kingston, New Glasgow, and Yarmouth. Demonstrators called on the Liberal government to keep home care not for profit and cover it fully under Medicare.

"Home care should be about compassion, not profit. We're calling on this government to keep the heart in home care and halt moves to privatize it," said James Hutt, Provincial Co-ordinator for the Health Network, in front of Liberal MLA Joachim Stroink's office, one of the two rallies in Halifax.

"By trying to sell off home care to corporations, Premier McNeil and Health Minister Leo Glavine are putting our parents and grandparents at risk."

The Liberal government plans to contract out home nursing and home support services through a competitive bidding process. At their annual convention this past weekend, Health Minister Glavine tried to dispel fears that competitive bidding would lead to greater shortages of home care workers and less care for patients.

Yet Alberta and Ontario's experience, the only provinces to experiment with competitive bidding, offer little reason for optimisn. In 2010, the Ontario Auditor General found competitive bidding to be inequitable, inefficient and inadequately monitored and managed.

Hundreds of health advocates gathered in front of the 9 MLA offices with placards and dish towels. The dish towels were a response to comments by the Health Minister that he didn't believe home support workers should make $18 an hour to wash dishes.

"We're here to clear up the Health Minister's misconception of the personal care, assistance and compassion that caregivers provide to those in need," said Lisa Mason, a home support worker in Bridgewater. "We're cleaning up the mess he's making of home care by calling for our politicians to help caregivers to do what they do best - provide quality health care."

The Health Network and other organizers are asking others to add their voice of support online at www.votepublichealthcare.ca and to tell their local MLA to protect care and caregivers by rejecting competitive bidding.

About the Nova Scotia Citizen's Health Care Network

Formed in 1996, the Nova Scotia Citizens' Health Care Network's goal is to stop the privatization of the public health care system, ensure high levels of care, and create a forum for people and communities to discuss issues in health care.

The Network is a coalition of local health committees, community groups, organized labour, faith groups, women's organizations, students, and individuals dedicated to protecting and extending public health care to include services like pharmacare, dental care, long-term care, mental health care and home care.

The Network is political but non-partisan and receives no government funding.

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