To the editor;
Re: (MP McLeod questions retirement-home chain sale to Chinese firm,’ Mar. 2):
I am writing to express my concern with the sale of Retirement Concepts to the Chinese conglomerate Anbang.
I am passionate about maintaining and improving our public health care. It is a cornerstone of Canadian democracy and a reflection of our shared values.
While I realize Retirement Concepts was already one step closer toward the privatization of our health-care system, continuing to put vulnerable citizens into the care of a company that has a profit motivation is not likely to provide them with the best care possible.
B.C. Health Minister Terry Lake has assured the public the Ministry of Health will continue to oversee the homes’services and quality of care.
However, studies have shown private care facilities do not provide the same level of care as public ones.
A paper published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS Medicine states “there is a conflict of interest between the profit motive and actually spending money on things like staffing. This is a highly vulnerable population who are not able to get up and leave if the care is poor. It’s very difficult even to complain.”
Are the checks and balances of which Lake speaks so highly addressing these issues?
B.C. NDP health critic Judy Darcy has said: “There are enough challenges with accountability and transparency, and seniors are suffering because B.C. regulators are not ensuring elder care is up to code. Now, the decisions about this company’s future will be made by a multinational company that is one step removed.”
I am also confused as to why Premier Christy Clark has said the sale of Retirement Concepts is part of the federal purview.
Isn’t health care provincially managed?
Are senior homes not considered part of the health-care system? Have they already been forsaken?
Anbang seems to be nothing more than a collector of businesses, none of which reflect any motivation other than profit.
This acquisition is just another business for Anbang to scoop up, one the company likely have no interest in other than profit.
It is certainly not interested in the care of our parents and grandparents.
Alexandra Wood
Kamloops, B.C.