By Julie Fortier
A group of Centretown senior citizens have been working overtime in an attempt to save Canadian medicare from the U.S.-style recommendations that they fear the much-anticipated Romanow report, due Nov. 27, will contain.
The Seniors Action Network, an organization that deals with seniors’ issues, which include healthcare, has been stepping up its lobbying efforts.
They fear last month’s Kirby Report, and the forthcoming Romanow Report, will focus mainly on how to cut costs with a two-tiered system rather than how to better serve the public.
“Some big decisions are going to come about because of the Kirby and Romanow reports,” says Abe Rosenfeld, community developer for the Seniors Action Network.
“ There is a provincial meeting after that in January and then there will be a budget in February,” he says.
“They are looking at making some changes in the system quite soon . . .So now is the time to act.”
“We want to make sure that we are not going to end up with a two-tiered system where people have to pay,” says Sandra Charrett, long time member of the Seniors Action Network and outreach nurse at the Somerset West Community Health Care Centre.
“[Many seniors] who are on low incomes don’t want to see a dumbing down of our healthcare system where they are going to get second-class treatment if they cannot afford to pay.”
This topic is especially crucial for seniors because the recommendations will directly impact them, Rosenfeld says. “Seniors use a large percentage of the healthcare system and changes affect them drastically.”
Charrett says she has seen seniors who can’t afford to pay for their expensive prescription drugs, and that long waits for treatment can severely affect the quality of life for her patients.
“We’ve got one who has been waiting to have a hip replacement for some time now and is living in pain. Those are the kinds of things that we are hearing from them.”
Some of their lobbying has included working with other organizations, including the Canadian Health Coalition, to visit all members of Parliament across the country. They have already met with Mac Harb, the Liberal MP for Ottawa Centre, as well as other local MPs and even Finance Minister John Manley.
“Manley was very keen on knowing what our thoughts were on the Kirby Report. He really wants to see some solutions coming out of the Kirby and the Romanow reports,” Rosenfeld says.
Harb also says that he was taking action on their concerns. “When the report is made public, then at that time we will make sure that there is a proper way for them to give their input,” Harb says.
Also, through locations like the Sandy Hill Community Health Centre and Somerset West Community Health Centre, the group has been distributing postcards to be sent to Minister of Health Anne McLellan, asking her to “save medicare.” So far, the Seniors Action Network estimates 6,000 to 7,000 cards have already been distributed as part of this program.
Members will be continuing their efforts right up until the federal budget in February. Rosenfeld doesn’t see any end to their action.
“Seniors are very involved in health care . . . As long as there continues to be changes to the medicare system seniors will be affected.”