News Release Archive
HEALTH--PROVINCE WANTS BETTER SOLUTION FOR PRIVATE CLINICS
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The Province of Nova Scotia will not pay the facility fees
that private medical clinics charge their clients.
"We don't believe that forcing provinces to pay for such
fees is the best course of action," said Health Minister Ron
Stewart. "However, we are very interested in working with
the federal health minister, in conjunction with other
provinces, to find a better solution."
Currently the province pays the physician fees for
procedures performed at two private clinics in Halifax. The
clinics then charge their clients a facility fee for
performing the procedure. For the time being, this system
will remain unchanged. The procedures, abortions and the
treatment of port wine stains at a dermatology clinic, are
available through the publicly-funded health system.
Health Canada has said it will start to calculate reductions
in transfer payments if provinces don't comply with the
federal policy on facility fee charging at private clinics.
The deadline for complying with the federal policy was Oct.
15. If transfer payments to Nova Scotia are reduced, the
province would lose about $130,000.
Nova Scotia's decision is the best means of ensuring health
care in the province remains publicly funded and accessible
to all, Dr. Stewart said. "If the province agreed to pay the
facility fees, it would open the door for many private
clinics, creating wasteful duplication. Nova Scotians have
already paid for these services in the public system," he
said.
"The best way to preserve a single-tier, publicly-funded
system, which is open and accessible to all, is to resist
funding these facilities," Dr. Stewart said. "The
unregulated spread of private clinics could become
financially unsustainable, inefficient in terms of public
spending and could pose a significant risk to the health and
health care of Nova Scotians."
Nova Scotia's decision adheres to the principles of the
Canada Health Act, the minister said.
Private clinics are well established in other provinces and
paying for facility fees could trigger a similar expansion
of private clinics in Nova Scotia, Dr. Stewart said.
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Contact: Lori MacLean 902-424-5025
NOTE TO EDITORS: Backgrounder available by calling
902-424-4492.
trp Oct. 24, 1995
