Manitoba appeals ruling on reimbursement for abortion.WINNIPEG -- The Manitoba government is appealing a court, ruling which said the Charter rights of two Manitoba women were violated vi·o·late tr.v. vi·o·lat·ed, vi·o·lat·ing, vi·o·lates 1. To break or disregard (a law or promise, for example). 2. To assault (a person) sexually. 3. because they paid for their own abortions at a private clinic without any reimbursement Reimbursement Payment made to someone for out-of-pocket expenses has incurred. from the province. Tim Sales, Manitoba's Health Minister said the judgement made by Associate Chief Justice Jeffrey Oliphant of the Manitoba Court of Appeal The Manitoba Court of Appeal is the highest Court of Appeal in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was established in 1906. It is located in the Old Law Courts building at 408 York Avenue in Winnipeg, the capital city of Manitoba. jeopardizes the province's responsibility to determine the most effective and efficient way to deliver health care. "Our decision to appeal is based on the need for all provincial governments to retain full control over their health budgets, particularly, for a publicly-funded health care Publicly funded health care is a health care system that is financed entirely or in majority part by citizens' tax payments instead of through private payments made to insurance companies or directly to health care providers (health insurance premiums, copayments or deductibles). system," he said, adding that "opening the door to for-profit care leads to increased expenditures with no measurable effect on wait lists." * In his decision Justice Oliphant ruled that provincial health care regulations, excluding abortions performed in a private clinic from provincial funding, not only violate certain Charter Rights and Freedoms of women wishing to have an abortion but" are also contradictory, since the province willingly paid for part of the procedure's cost for one woman because she was a social assistant recipient at the time. The two women each paid for an abortion in 1994 and 1999 at the privately-operated Morgentaler clinic after discovering that there would be a long delay for the procedure if they had it performed in a publicly funded facility such as a provincial hospital. In their appeal, they argued that they should not have to pay for a medically necessary medically necessary Managed care adjective Referring to a covered service or treatment that is absolutely necessary to protect and enhance the health status of a Pt, and could adversely affect the Pt's condition if omitted, in accordance with accepted procedure, and that the province's refusal to pay for abortion procedures at privately-run clinics violated their Charter rights. In his statement, Sales noted that the government's decision to appeal will have no bearing on the availability of abortion services, including services provided by the Morgentaler clinic, which, due to changes at the clinic, are now funded by the province. The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) is the governing body for healthcare regulation in an area of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Established in December 1999, the WRHA is one of 12 Regional Health Authorities in Manitoba responsible for coordinating health services in has been funding abortions at Jane's Clinic since the summer and this will continue as it works towards implementing a broader women's reproductive health Within the framework of WHO's definition of health[1] as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, reproductive health, or sexual health/hygiene strategy, added the minister. Canadian women obtained 105,154: abortions in 2002, down 1% from 106,270 in 2001. The rate of abortion has also marginally fallen from 15.6 abortions per 1,000 women in 2001 to 15.4 abortions per 1,000 women in 2002. (Numbers exclude data related to residents of Nunavut.) Canadian Institute for Health Information The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) is an independent, not-for-profit organization in Canada, primarily funded by the provincial and federal governments of Canada. The Kateri Memorial Hospital Centre marks its 100 years of service to the community of Kahnawake, QC |
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