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Appendix 5: The Women and Health Reform Working Group
- A Brief History
WOMEN AND HEALTH REFORM WORKING GROUP
Who We Are:
We are an informal network of groups and individuals
meeting to:
- Promote/facilitate women's participation as full partners in the decision making
processes regarding health and health services.
- Provide opportunities for education and dialogue on the various aspects of health reform
and restructuring
- Articulate a shared perspective on health reform from a perspective of women [gender]
and communicate that, amongst our members and contacts.
- Initiate a process that will result in the creation of new linkages across groups and
individuals particularly in regions with the RHA's.
- Develop educational and learning opportunities to train professionals to raise awareness
of women's health issues and capacity to create change
- Build a coordinated and enhanced network of individuals and agencies working to promote
women's health.
- Outreach to groups and individuals
- Construct policy recommendations that can be implemented to improve the health status of
women
- Stimulate and facilitate participatory research aimed at improving the health status of
women.
History of Project
In light of the changes in the health reform
process in the province of Manitoba, this report was produced for health Canada to provide
a environmental scan and documentation of the perspectives of selected Manitoba community
based or grass roots networks, groups, and women related to the implementation of health
reform. The target audience are those groups and individuals who are interested in women's
health services and policies, particularly consumers, within the framework of health
promotion and in the context of integrated gender sensitive services.
As reported in the spring 1996 issue of
"Womanly Times"[1] the article titled HEALTH CARE
REFORM AND REGIONALIZATION: Can Women's Voices Be Heard?", quote: "Health
regionalization can be seen as presenting both opportunities and threats to women's health
concerns and issues in Manitoba. By understanding the opportunities and the threats, can
we come together to create services we need for ourselves and our communities? How can we
take advantage of the opportunities that change presents and avoid the dangers?"
The WOMEN AND HEALTH REFORM WORKING GROUP was
formed to address the issue of this process in Manitoba in regard to Bill C49 - Regional
Health Authorities and Consequential Amendments Act.
WHRWG - Group Concerns
In the opinion of the working group, Bill 49 as
presented, gives rise to many concerns, some of which are:
- That the proposed legislation will result in the
privatization[2] of health care so that the poor in this
province (the majority of whom are single mothers and single senior women) will not be
able to afford quality health care.
- The small number of women on the Rural Health
Authority boards is perceived as a lack of regard for women and women's health care
issues.
- That services specific to women's needs may not
continue to be covered as insured services.
- That boards will be appointed instead of being
democratically elected as has been the general practice.
- That the legislation appears to give
decision-making power to the ministerial level, rather than having it rest with the
communities.
- Perceived lack of commitment in the document to
uphold the principles of the Canada Health Act: universality, comprehensive coverage,
portability, accessibility and public administration.
- Evolution of a health care system that is not
responsive to the special needs of women.
- Concern at repeated references in the legislation
to charging fees for unnamed services.
- Inadequate knowledge about funding levels which
will allow RHAs to do budgeting fiscal planning.
- The impact of the legislation may result in the
loss of health care jobs which are filled mainly by women.
- That the primary focus of this health reform
legislation should encompass a commitment to the planning of community-based health
services.
- There has been a stated need for clearer
definition of terms in the proposed legislation, because many key words are ambiguous and
much too open to interpretation (ie, the word "community").
Planning for the future
As resources permit, meeting and workshops will
be planned. There will be regular networking meetings held approximately monthly at the
Women's Health Clinic in Winnipeg.
We can be reached
c/o The Manitoba Women's Advisory Council
107 - 205 Carlton Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 3H9
Phone: (204) 945-6281 Fax: (204) 945-6511
NOTES
[1]Produced for the Women's Health Clinic by Madeline Boscoe
and Sari Tudiver with the assistance of Madelyn Hall's research material
[2]Manitoba Government - News Release October 24, 1996 states that Bill C49 will enshrine the five principles of the Canada Health Act.
(C)1997,1998 by The Women's Health Clinic Of Manitoba
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