THE CANADIAN PRESS

Stumble Upon

del.icio.us

Digg

Facebook

Print

Email

Speak Up

TORONTO - Ontario's Health Minister Deb Matthews says the province will look into Toronto Public Health's decision to give doses of the H1N1 vaccine to a private clinic in Toronto.

"I'm not going to be second guessing Toronto's medical officer of health in the middle of a pandemic on this decision, but I am saying, when all this is behind us, it is a question we're going to want to take a pretty good look at," Matthews said at a news conference on Sunday.

The decision to give Medcan, a private, "preventative health-care clinic" 3,000 vaccines on Friday for its high paying members created controversy over the weekend.

The private clinic says it will consult with public health to see if it can offer the vaccine to high-risk members of the general public by appointment.

Medcan has said it may offer the vaccine to non-members who come equipped with a referral from public health officials.

"We thought perhaps we could talk to them (Toronto Public Health) about reaching out to individuals who have disabilities and can't stand in line for long periods of time," said Bronwen Evans, the vice-president of corporate affairs for Medcan.

But with public health units swamped, and long line-ups winding around for blocks outside clinics, the requirement for a referral would be next to impossible says a representative from the nurses association.

"Either we ask the proof from everybody or we don't ask from anybody, otherwise we create inequity and we create gaps between the haves and have nots," said Doris Grinspun, the executive director of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario.

Grinspun said asking for proof of high-risk conditions from everyone would overwhelm primary care centres, because people would have to get a doctors note before going to the private clinic for the shot.

"That is a question, and we're looking to public health," said Evans, insisting that the Medcan still needs to talk with public health officials to figure out how the clinic can help deliver the vaccine to those who need it most.

"I don't know what their response is going to be at this point," said Evans, "for starters we should be talking to them."