December 12, 2006
Kamloops Daily News

The failure of the B.C. Liberals to regulate private clinics
has created confusion about what patients have to pay for
out of their own pockets.

The Canada Health Act is clear. Clinics can't charge for
medically necessary procedures. Private clinics like Dr.
Mark Godley's Urgent Care Centre in Vancouver have
capitalized on the confusion with brazen violation of the
law.

Health care entrepreneurs are encouraged by the government's
slow pace in reducing wait times. Commercial ventures see
the pent-up public demand for health care as a business
opportunity.

Godley's clinic in (appropriately named) False Creek
deceptively encouraged patients to jump the queue and get
emergency treatment.

Let's get one thing straight first; Godley facility wasn't
an emergency clinic. "Emergency rooms operate 24 hours a
day and they turn away no one. The Vancouver facility is not
an ER, it is a glorified walk-in clinic whose owners have a
talent for generating media coverage," says public health
reporter André Picard.

Secondly, Godley was in blatant violation of the Canada
Health Act although he pretended not to be. "We believe
we're on the right side of the law," he demurred.

As late as November 29, Health Minister George Abbott was
stalling on enforcing the Health Act even though the clinic
had made it clear that they would illegally charge a $200
fee just for a patient to walk in the door. "We can't send
in jackbooted soldiers to close the doors," a frustrated
Abbott told reporters. Concerned citizens weren't looking
for theatrics, just for the health minister to stop stalling
and enforce the law.

Mounting national pressure normally reserved for the
flagrant health care violations in Alberta finally forced
the Health Minister to make the clinic comply.

In the absence of public clinics, private operators like the
Kamloops Urgent Care Clinic will seek to fill the gap.
Private clinics can legally charge for procedures that
aren't medically necessary but lack of enforcement has
allowed them to wrongly charge patients.

For example, the private Cambie Surgery Centre in Vancouver
employs many orthopedic surgeons who also work in the public
system. While some Cambie patient bills are paid through
Workers' Compensation, many other patients pay out of pocket
to receive faster care from the very same surgeons who have
long wait times in Vancouver's public hospitals.

Illegal billing not only breaks the letter of the law, it
also violates the principles of Canada's health care system.
Canadians consider health care to be a fundamental right,
not a commodity to be exploited.

When governments allow business models to determine the
equipping, staffing and location of clinics, they ignore the
needs of citizens. Publicly built clinics could be built
cheaper without the constant lure of profit.

Government inaction also misleads health care entrepreneurs
into thinking that it's open season on the sick and injured.

Godley spent $10 million on his luxury clinic but now his
business plan has been scuttled. "Obviously, this is
expensive for our business, and we have to work out an
agreement as soon as possible with the Ministry of Health,
and we are working on that starting today," worried Godley.

He is looking for government to bail him out now that he
can't pay for pay for his Cadillac clinic with Chevrolet
payments.

If Godley doesn't go bankrupt building expensive clinics to
be financed on modest health care fees, you have to wonder
who is backing such an unprofitable venture. Has some
secret deal been reached with the government to finance his
clinics? Does Godley hope that he can continue to illegally
bill patients while the government looks the other way?

Something must be encouraging Godley to pursue his plan to
make the sick pay for his grand plans. Undeterred by
problems at False Creek clinic, he plans to open another in
Surrey.

He continues to use the weaselword of "choice" to justify
his intentions. "The only way that you'll see an
improvement in health care is for people to actually have
choice in where they receive their care," he said.

Translation: "The only way I'm going to make a profit on my
investments is if people pay."

As long as the government fails to build public clinics,
private clinics will pressure governments to compromise the
Canada Health Act and look for ways to make money. It's
nothing personal, just a business decision.

David Charbonneau is the owner of Trio Technical.
He can be reached at dcharbonneau13@shaw.ca

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