Friday, November 26, 2004

The Republic :: Maximus brings its private government to BC
From Vancouver comes this objection to privatization.
The vast US company that won a records management contract at the BC Ministry of Health Services does quite a bit more than manage records. It's quietly building a complete privatized government

A cursory look at the US company that last week won a huge contract to take over part of the provincial government's record keeping duties reveals a glimpse into the future of government and society. It's a future right out of the best of the science fiction thrillers playing on the silver screen. And that future is privatized.

Maximus, a huge Renton, Virginia-based government information management company, was handed a $324 million contract by the BC Ministry of Health Services to transform the ministry's collection, storage, and retrieval of patient information, and to perform information services with those records for ten years. Since all residents of BC are automatically part of the patient records system, this means, as the company itself says in its press release about the deal, “Maximus' efforts would include registration of all British Columbia residents” and “maintaining correct information on all registered residents.”

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