A provincial union fears the Pallister government is taking the first step towards privatizing home care.

The Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union (MGEU) said it’s learned a new enhanced home-care service will be contracted out. And the union said that bodes poorly for patients.

“You go into business to make money. (A private business’s) concern is going to be the bottom line, not the care given to patients,” MGEU president Michelle Gawronsky said.

Gawronsky said the MGEU’s existing home care and home support workers have the skills to perform the work needed for enhanced home care, so there’s no need for private alternatives. She also fears private care will lead to new user fees, leaving some low-income patients unable to afford treatment.

“Manitobans who can’t afford care aren’t going to be given care,” she said.

Gawronsky said the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority recently told the union they plan to contract out the program in part to quickly meet requirements of an ongoing Winnipeg health facility overhaul. That overhaul includes a plan to reduce the number of emergency rooms in Winnipeg from six to three.

Bronwyn Penner Holigroski, a WRHA spokeswoman, noted the authority expects new positions would be required to meet the increasing demand for home-care services. But Penner Holigroski declined further comment over concern that sharing details of a new program would violate election rules that limit government announcements during the lead up to the June 13 Point Douglas byelection.

Manitoba’s NDP health critic, Matt Wiebe, alleged the province had plenty of time to reveal more details of the program before the blackout period began.

“They had lots of time to clarify how this would roll out,” Wiebe said. “We’ve got people who are on the front line, delivering these services who want to know what this means for their jobs ... and for patient care.”

Premier Brian Pallister offered little detail about the home-care shift but stressed he’s open-minded on how care is delivered.

The Premier also declined to reveal if he’d reject private proposals for health care that include user fees, though he indicated that’s not intended.

“We’re focused on getting better results and better results wouldn’t include (those) things,” he said.

The premier also repeated his claim that Manitoba already suffered the disadvantages of a two-tier health-care system, since some patients drive to the United States for paid care to avoid long wait times.

jpursaga@postmedia.com

Twitter: @pursagawpgsun