{"id":2723,"date":"2015-04-17T08:30:35","date_gmt":"2015-04-17T12:30:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca\/?p=2723"},"modified":"2021-07-21T16:37:33","modified_gmt":"2021-07-21T20:37:33","slug":"advisory-health-coalitions-across-northeastern-ontario-plan-day-of-action-to-protest-hospital-cuts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca\/index.php\/advisory-health-coalitions-across-northeastern-ontario-plan-day-of-action-to-protest-hospital-cuts\/","title":{"rendered":"RELEASE: <\/FONT> Hundreds Rally to Stop Health Care Cuts and Privatization in First Day of Action — Protests Planned Across Ontario"},"content":{"rendered":"

(April 17, 2015)<\/p>\n

(Sudbury, Ottawa, Hamilton, Niagara, London) \u2013 In response to severe hospital cuts and the threat of privatization of home care and hospital services, organizations representing hundreds of thousands of seniors, patients, health care workers, nurses, health professionals and concerned citizens have joined forces to call for mass protests in each region of Ontario. The cross-province Days of Action were officially kicked-off at a noon hour rally today at the office of Sudbury MPP Glenn Thibeault.<\/p>\n

In this, the eighth consecutive year of real-dollar decreases to community hospitals\u2019 global budgets, cuts are happening everywhere. Northeastern Ontario has been especially hard-hit by devastating hospital cuts in every major community. Maternity wards are under threat of closure; entire community hospitals serving hundreds of thousands of patients being closed down; outpatient clinics are being privatized, small town hospitals losing entire wards; large hospitals are facing deficits in the millions of dollars; and thousands of nurses, health professionals and hospital support staff positions being cut and eliminated. As public hospital services are being slashed, ownership and control over vital care are being privatized to for-profit companies, patients are hit with new user fees and two-tier health care is taking over. And with the recommendations of the government\u2019s panel on home care, the last remaining public and non-profit home care services are under renewed threat of privatization.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are joining regular Ontarians from every walk of life to work together to build mass protests in each region of Ontario to raise our voices together and insist that our political leaders stop the cuts and privatization of our health care,\u201d said Natalie Mehra, executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition. \u201cOur health care is funded by the people and it should be run for the people; not for profit-seeking companies and not at the whim of political leaders who have no mandate to dismantle vital local health care.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sudbury\u2019s event is the first of four regional \u201cDays of Action\u201d: mass regional protests and citizen action days to save our communities\u2019 public health care services. \u00a0These four Days of Action will be the first set of events. More will be announced in the coming months. Each Day of Action will be held at the constituency office of a senior Minister or MPP from the Ontario Liberal government in the region:<\/p>\n

Northeastern Ontario Day of Action<\/p>\n