Ontario Public Service Employees Union has learned all hospitals within the South Bruce Grey Health Centre Network will most likely follow suit.
In an exlusive interview with Beach News, OPSEU Communications Officer, David Cox, says all South Bruce Grey Health Centre hospitals (Kincardine, Walkerton, Durham, and Chesley) will have privatized physiotherapy service soon.
Cox says they hear the change will take effect April first, 2009.
A private for-profit physiotherapy company took over services at the Kincardine hospital this summer.
Cox says OPSEU is now looking into whether the take over happened legally.
He says at first, the private company was known as PT Health; now it’s recognized as a numbered company.
Cox says they want to know if that is legal and are investigating.
Cox urges residents affected by this announcement to make their voices heard in various ways.
He says not only should they be telling the hospital of their displeasure, but their area politicians too.
Cox says a small number of physiotherapists are affected (no exact number); but their concern lies more with their patients, and the effect will have on them.
Until now, anyone wanting services in the Kincardine area covered through OHIP has been encouraged to travel to the other SBGHC locations.
Beach News attempted to get comments from SBGHC CEO and President Paul Davies, but was unsucessful.
