The BC Court of Appeal has granted an injunction to allow Cambie Surgerie and other private clinics to continue to treat patients in the face of government attempts to shut them down..The Tuesday injunction comes on the heels of the trial decision in Cambie Surgeries v Attorney General (BC), which found the government could enforce a law that had the effect of prohibiting private clinics like Cambie..That decision is being appealed, but while the larger case on the future of private non-government healthcare is heard, patients will continue to be able to access medical care at the clinics..“This is a huge victory for patients in British Columbia, who want to continue to access care when the government system fails them,” said Canadian Constitution Foundation Executive Director Joanna Baron..“Patients have a right to make choices about how to seek medical care, and thanks to today’s judgment, patients won’t need to wait until the larger case is appealed. They can continue to seek care at clinics like Cambie, as they have for over two decades.”.The decision orders clinics be permitted to remain open to care for patients whose medically necessary surgeries have been scheduled beyond the Ministry of Health wait times, and for patients who wait beyond a wait time benchmark because of lack of capacity in the government system..“While it is shocking and callous that the BC government would try to shut down medical clinics in the middle of a pandemic to prove some ideological point, the best interests of patients have prevailed. And we are confident patients will prevail in the larger case later next year,” said Baron..“While we await the appeal, we are relieved that patients can continue to access care at these vital clinics.”.Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.TWITTER: Twitter.com/nobby7694
The BC Court of Appeal has granted an injunction to allow Cambie Surgerie and other private clinics to continue to treat patients in the face of government attempts to shut them down..The Tuesday injunction comes on the heels of the trial decision in Cambie Surgeries v Attorney General (BC), which found the government could enforce a law that had the effect of prohibiting private clinics like Cambie..That decision is being appealed, but while the larger case on the future of private non-government healthcare is heard, patients will continue to be able to access medical care at the clinics..“This is a huge victory for patients in British Columbia, who want to continue to access care when the government system fails them,” said Canadian Constitution Foundation Executive Director Joanna Baron..“Patients have a right to make choices about how to seek medical care, and thanks to today’s judgment, patients won’t need to wait until the larger case is appealed. They can continue to seek care at clinics like Cambie, as they have for over two decades.”.The decision orders clinics be permitted to remain open to care for patients whose medically necessary surgeries have been scheduled beyond the Ministry of Health wait times, and for patients who wait beyond a wait time benchmark because of lack of capacity in the government system..“While it is shocking and callous that the BC government would try to shut down medical clinics in the middle of a pandemic to prove some ideological point, the best interests of patients have prevailed. And we are confident patients will prevail in the larger case later next year,” said Baron..“While we await the appeal, we are relieved that patients can continue to access care at these vital clinics.”.Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.TWITTER: Twitter.com/nobby7694
