TORONTO - Healthcare is a basic right that should be made available to all based on need rather than ability to pay, said SEIU Local 1 Canada in a statement today.

The union called on hospitals across Ontario to provide emergency medical attention to patients in need of care first, and not to create bureaucratic hurdles for the sick and their families.

The appeal was made after frontline hospital workers expressed concern about policies at Humber River Regional Hospital in Toronto that appear aimed at turning carers into tax collectors or immigration officials.

"Frontline hospital workers should be free to concentrate on what they do best: provide care to patients. They should not be forced to ask intrusive questions of patients because hospital administrators are worried about the bottom line," said the spokesperson.