Open letter from Ontario's RNs, health centres and midwives calls on Minister of Health Eric Hoskins to immediately ban medical tourism

TORONTO, Aug. 21, 2014 /CNW/ - A joint letter from three provincial health organizations is calling on newly minted Minister of Health, Eric Hoskins, to put a stop to medical tourism.

Medical tourism refers to generating profits by soliciting patients from abroad, a practice currently in progress in Toronto hospitals, and one the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario, the Association of Ontario Health Centres and the Association of Ontario Midwives say will represent a shift to for-profit, private health care and damage universal access for Ontarians.

The trio also says they are unaware of any surplus nurses, midwives or doctors in the province. If hospitals believe they have such a surplus, this unused capacity should be put toward shortening wait times for Ontarians, who ultimately keep the system running through their taxes. Shifting the focus from providing health services to generating income could lead to corruption similar to the ORNGE scandal, the associations add.

Read the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario, the Association of Ontario Health Centres and the Association of Ontario Midwives' letter to Minister Hoskins.

Back in April, the associations issued a similar letter to Premier Wynne. Read it here.

The Association of Ontario Health Centres (AOHC) is Ontario's voice for community-governed primary health care. The association represents 111 community-governed primary health-care organizations. Membership includes Ontario's Community Health Centres, Aboriginal Health Access Centres, Community Family Health Teams and Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinics. For more information, visit us on Facebook and Twitter.

The Association of Ontario Midwives is the professional organization representing midwives and the profession of midwifery in Ontario. For more information about Ontario Midwives, visit www.OntarioMidwives.ca and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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 http://www.RNAO.org/facebook and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RNAO

SOURCE: Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario

For more information, or to arrange an interview, 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