winnipegsun.com - Manitoba - Think tank praises clinic

winnipegsun.com - Manitoba - Think tank praises clinic: "Sat, November 26, 2005

Think tank praises clinicPublic, private health-care best
By ROCHELLE SQUIRES, LEGISLATURE REPORTER

mix of public and private health-service offerings would draw more workers to the system, reduce costs, improve service and increase efficiencies, says a public policy analyst.

"Competition from private providers is no threat to the public system, in fact it will save the system," said Dennis Owens of the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, a privately funded think tank with offices in Winnipeg.

From his research, Owens believes a monopolized health care system de-emphasizes service and has a harder time attracting and retaining workers.

He doesn't understand why NDP Health Minister Tim Sale is opposed to the Maples Surgical Centre providing MRI scans to the public for a fee.

The clinic -- owned by Dr. Mark Godley -- is poised to begin selling MRI scans to the public for a $695 fee.


"When I hear Tim Sale tell someone he can't sell a product on the public market, I think of a dictator," said Owens. "Cuba and North Korea are the only other countries in the world that would say to a guy like Dr. Godley that he can't provide his service."





A mix of public and private health-service offerings would draw more workers to the system, reduce costs, improve service and increase efficiencies, says a public policy analyst.
'Competition from private providers is no threat to the public system, in fact it will save the system,' said Dennis Owens of the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, a privately funded think tank with offices in Winnipeg.
From his research, Owens believes a monopolized health care system de-emphasizes service and has a harder time attracting and retaining workers.
He doesn't understand why NDP Health Minister Tim Sale is opposed to the Maples Surgical Centre providing MRI scans to the public for a fee. "