Statement made on 28 April 2009 by Senator Lucie Pépin (retired)
Hon. Lucie Pépin:
Honourable senators, I would like to take a moment to talk about World Health Day, which was celebrated on April 7, 2009. That day fell during our parliamentary break, and since there is a long waiting list for Senators' Statements, I have not had the opportunity until today to pay tribute to all those who work within our health care system.
This day serves to commemorate the founding of the World Health Organization and highlights the multiple realities facing the health care community.
We are all well aware of the important contributions made by doctors and nurses. Although their role is essential, it is not enough on its own to make our health care system work. We often forget the crucial role of other health care employees.
Try to imagine for a moment a hospital or health care centre with no one to answer the phone, greet people at reception or update files and maintain an appropriate archiving system.
Imagine a hospital with no technicians to work in the labs or operate x-ray equipment. Imagine a health care facility that was not adequately maintained, where there were no special measures to reduce the spread of infectious disease, or where no one did the laundry or fixed the meals.
These examples are taken from a brochure put out by the Canadian Women's Health Network, entitled Hidden Health Care Work and Women, on which my speech today is based.
Naturally, the focus tends to be on doctors and nurses, whose work is the most visible in all areas of the health care system. But without the support of other health care workers, Canadians would not receive the care they need. Receptionists, technologists, orderlies, records managers, cooks and janitors, all these hidden health care workers do work that is central to the provision of health care and to the health care system.
These workers are very often labelled as "ancillary," which gives them secondary status. As a result, the issues facing these workers, who are primarily women, are sometimes relegated to the background. New Canadians and visible minorities are overrepresented in hidden health care positions, compared to their representation in the labour force.
Many hidden health care workers are poorly paid, and many are not unionized and therefore do not have any benefits. Cleaners are exposed to harsh chemicals and sharp objects.
Honourable senators, teamwork within health care requires the participation of all workers, regardless of their occupation.
Keeping things organized, cleaning and cooking are all roles that deserve to be recognized as essential, not only to promoting health and healing, but to the success of the health care system.
I invite you to learn about hidden health care work by consulting the brochure on this subject published by the Canadian Women's Health Network, available on its website at www.cwhn.ca.