Vancouver clinic fuels private health care debate

A members-only clinic opened in Vancouver this week for people willing to pay a $1,200 initiation fee plus $2,300 a year for no-waiting access to doctors.

The Vancouver Sun calls the Copeman Healthcare Centre a "toe in the door" for private medicine. But it's not strictly private, however. The government still pays the bill for approved services.

The clinic's medical director, Dr. Peter House, says people are signing up because they aren't happy with long waits to see a family doctor and with getting just a few minutes once they get into the doctor's office.

"The status quo in primary care in Canada is not what we think it should be," he says. "We hope to lead by example and change it, not just talk about it."

The British Columbia Nurses Union has called on the government to close the clinic. Union president Debra McPherson accuses it of charging members for services covered by medicare.

• INDEPTH: Public vs. private health care

Founder Don Copeman says members are paying only for uninsured services such as fitness and diet counselling, and Dr. House says the clinic conforms to the guidelines of the Canada Health Act. But the provincial government is not so sure.

Health Minister George Abbott says ads for the clinic seem to suggest members will get quicker access to insured procedures, something private clinics aren't allowed to offer.

"We have continuing concerns with the way in which the Copeman clinic is representing itself in its website and in its advertising," he says.

• FROM JUNE 1, 2005: New clinic comes under fire

Abbott says the clinic must come into compliance with the law but won't say what will happen if it doesn't. Copeman has been quoted as saying he plans to open 37 such clinics across the country in five years.