ions for nursing practice Nursing is a profession based on ethical principles. One of these principles states that nurses must be accountable for their actions and the care they provide. If there is an influx of the private for- profit sector into the Canadian Health Care system accountability is threatened as hospitals decrease standards in order to increase profit. “Nurses are also ethically responsible for assuring that clients are provided with safe, competent, quality care” (CAN, 1997). As previously stated, a decrease in quality is inevitable as money becomes the driving force behind health care provision. The ethics of fairness and equitable distribution dictate that health care should be based on need rather than ability to pay. This belief is reinforced by the AARN who, in their position statement on privatization, affirms its loyalty to the maintenance of the principles as stated in the Canada Health Act (AARN,1995).Nursing also prides its self as a profession that takes a holistic approach to providing care for the individual. As the medical model and profit align to affirm their position of authority in health care it is the client who would suffer. There would be an urge to focus on a quota of parts to be fixed in a specified time frame rather than to focus on the individual and their specific needs.(Armstrong & Armstrong, 1996). Neglecting the principles of the CHA in order to incorporate privatization will have detrimental effects on the integrity of nursing practice. The Future of Canadian Health CareThe British Columbia Office of Heath Technology Assessment or (BCOHTA) as it is commonly called is based at the University of British Columbia in Canada. The purpose of the (BCOHTA) is to develop collaborative partnerships with evidence based Health Care programs that include the: British Columbia Cancer Agency British Columbia Center for Disease Control Center for Applied Ethics, USB (...
