November 27, 2006

Dear Hon. Minister of Health:

The following information is being sent to broaden your knowledge of how and why private health care is NOT what Nova Scotians want NOR need.  We were not consulted before this Bill was introduced, which we were promised that wide public consultation would take place prior to any Bill.  It was not a good idea to do it after the fact.  The only thing it does is to give a sense of mistrust.

We are anxious to meet with you and provide you and your department (as we have done many times in the past) with documentation showing private care should never be considered for Nova Scotians, nor will we accept it.  It is difficult enough that we have seen the recent the 21% increase to government wages, while many Nova Scotians are living with little or no means to live any kind of decent life, but to give our hard earned tax dollars to a private clinic to do what we in the public can do for much less is not acceptable!.  Our soup kitchens have increased, our cancer patients wait far too long for care or treatment, our rural areas are doing with too little and our child poverty has not improved.

I encourage you to review many of the past articles I have sent you on private care, some dealing with the large amounts of fraud, unnecessary operations, wait list that only grow longer, to name a few.

We are prepared to work with and support your government to do the right thing for Nova Scotians' access to care.  We look forward to the opportunity to meet with you and your staff to begin to work for solutions and not a waste of tax dollars for the greedy.  It is so deplorable to think of the people who can't wait to make money off the sick, ill and dying, as well as the suffering of the family and friends.

I look forward to your reply for a meeting.

Thank you

Sincerely,

Debbie Kelly, SSStJ

Chairperson, NS Citizens' Health Care Network

cc:  Network organizations

      Canadian Health Coalition

      Elected Officials

CBC Sunday Edition - re Canadian healthcare (Michael Enright)