July 13, 2005

Dear Hon. Minister MacIsaac:

Thank you for your email letter of June 28, 2005.  We appreciate your
support for our publicly funded health care but you have yet failed to
mention you also support a publicly delivered health care system, with
government workers.

It is in this concern that we need your reassurance to stop the rise of
for-profit facilities in this province which drain additional money from the
public purse.  We need a strong, more efficient and effective publicly
delivered health care system and with all due respect Hon. Minister, the
only way to achieve this is to dramatically increase the number of beds and
staff in this province.  Public dollars going into private care results in
less care and access to health care and health services due to the heavy
burden to increase share-holder profits.  Our health care is not designed
for that profiteering, it was designed to help all Canadians, equally,
regardless of the ability to pay.

Remember, under the past Liberal government, we lost over 1600 beds, which
was the number reason we have the wait list we have today.  This is a very
easy fix, put in place the very thing we,  Nova Scotians, must have and that
is a bed to lie in, whether it is for emergency, elected surgery, orthopedic
surgery and replacements, cancer or what have you.  Beds and the staff are
what we hear are necessary from people across this province, especially in
rural areas.

The money over the past number of years since the Romanow Report, has
increase the provincial purse but this money did not go into dedicated
health care management.  It is time for a dedicated health care budget.

We ask you to support publicly delivered health care, eliminate private
for-profit clinics, hospitals, and facilities and show great government by
making some difficult decisions on behalf of the people of this province.

We realize that you are meeting with several groups and organizations this
summer and we certainly would welcome an opportunity to meet with you at
your convience.  Please have your executive assistant contact me to set up a
time and place.  Health care discussions are of the utmost importance, which
I think you will agree.  Thank you for your consideration for a meeting and
thank you for supporting a publicly funded health care.

Sincerely yours,
Debbie L. Kelly, SSStJ
Chairperson, Nova Scotia Citizens' Health Care Network