Immediately ban medical tourism and reject for-profit plasma collection: Open letter from Ontario's RNs to Premier Kathleen Wynne

TORONTO, July 4, 2014 /CNW/ - Ensuring Ontario's health system remains strong means Ontario's Liberal government must immediately ban medical tourism and reject for-profit plasma collection, says the province's top professional nursing association in an open letter.

Medical tourism refers to generating revenue by soliciting patients from abroad, a practice currently in progress in Toronto hospitals, and one the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) condemns.

It's for similar reasons RNAO is also calling on Wynne to prohibit for-profit plasma collection, something the government started to do with Bill 178, or the Voluntary Blood Donations Act. It died on the order paper, which is why RNAO is bringing this item back to the top of the agenda. The association is concerned that permitting donors to be paid for blood or blood products risks the safety of our blood supply, and the sustainability of our voluntary system.

Read RNAO's letter to Premier Wynne.

The Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) is the professional association representing registered nurses, nurse practitioners, and BScN students in Ontario. Since 1925, RNAO has advocated for healthy public policy, promoted excellence in nursing practice, increased nurses' contribution to shaping the health-care system, and influenced decisions that affect nurses and the public they serve.

For more information about RNAO, visit our website at www.RNAO.ca You can also check out our Facebook page at www.RNAO.org/facebook and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RNAO.

SOURCE: Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario

or to arrange an interview with a nurse, please contact: Melissa Di Costanzo, Communications Officer/Writer, RNAO, Office: 416-408-5606, Toll free: 1-800-268-7199 ext. 250, [email protected], www.RNAO.ca