{"id":29768,"date":"2024-09-03T15:29:28","date_gmt":"2024-09-03T19:29:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca\/?p=29768"},"modified":"2024-09-10T10:02:49","modified_gmt":"2024-09-10T14:02:49","slug":"briefing-note-the-ford-governments-plan-to-privatize-ontarios-public-hospital-services","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca\/index.php\/briefing-note-the-ford-governments-plan-to-privatize-ontarios-public-hospital-services\/","title":{"rendered":"BRIEFING NOTE: <\/FONT> The Ford Government\u2019s Plan to Privatize Ontario\u2019s Public Hospital Services"},"content":{"rendered":"

(September 3, 2024)<\/p>\n

THE LATEST<\/strong><\/h2>\n

On January 16, 2023<\/a><\/span>, Premier Doug Ford announced his plan to open new private for-profit day hospitals in three cities, expand other for-profit clinics and shunt tens of millions in public funding to private clinics and hospitals. The premier said that 50% of the surgeries<\/a><\/span> done in our public hospitals could be cut and privatized. This would devastate our vital public hospital services unless Ontarians stop the Ford government from privatizing them.<\/p>\n

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For 100 years, Ontario has built our system of local public hospitals that operate on a non-profit basis, in the public interest. Under the cover of the pandemic, the Ford government began to make plans<\/a><\/span> to privatize Ontario\u2019s public hospital services, including surgeries and diagnostics to private for-profit hospitals and clinics.<\/p>\n

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In July 2021, they increased funding to private clinics by $24 million<\/a><\/span>. In January 2021, they announced new licenses for\u00a0\u201cindependent health facilities\u201d<\/a><\/span> (which is the name for private clinics, 98% of which are for-profit)\u00a0to\u00a0perform eye surgeries in place of public hospitals<\/a><\/span>. The Ministry of Health issued a\u00a0\u201ccall for applications\u201d<\/a><\/span> and clarified applicants could be a \u201ccorporation\u201d rather than a doctor: \u201cThe Applicant could be a corporation that operates a Health Facility that meets the criteria for submitting an Application<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

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In 2023, they awarded thousands of surgeries to private clinics. The private clinics that were awarded the licenses are TLC Laser Eye Centres<\/a><\/span> in Waterloo, Herzig Eye Institute<\/a><\/span> and Focus Eye Centre<\/a><\/span> in Ottawa, and Windsor Surgical Centre<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

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In June 2024, the Ministry of Health opened applications to issue more licenses for private MRI and CT scan clinics<\/a><\/span> in the fall. Once again, corporations could apply<\/a><\/span>. In August 2024, the Ministry announced a new round of applications for clinic licenses to privatize 60,000 gastrointestinal endoscopies<\/a><\/span>. They plan to issue licenses in early 2025<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

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The Financial Accountability Office of Ontario (an office of the Ontario Legislature like the Ontario Auditor General) shows in its financial reports<\/a><\/span> that the Ford government doubled<\/em> the funding for the private clinics in the final quarter of the 2022 fiscal year (January \u2013 March) compared to the previous three quarters of the year. It has continued massive funding increases for private clinics ever since while it has repeatedly underspent on other parts of health care<\/a><\/span> including public hospitals. From 2023 \u2013 2024, Ford gave an increase of more than 200% to private clinics<\/a><\/span> and increased funding to a private for-profit hospital (Don Mills Surgical Unit) by almost 300%<\/a><\/span>. At the same time, they imposed real dollar cuts on public hospitals<\/a><\/span> throughout the entire budget year until the last month of it, by funding them below the rate of inflation leaving them without the resources to deal with the staffing crisis and emergency department and other service closures. The picture is clear: drive the public system into the ground and use the resulting crisis to privatize.<\/p>\n

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For-profit privatization is a threat to Public Medicare for all of us<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Canada Health Act<\/a><\/span> is like a patients\u2019 bill of rights. It says no patient can be charged for medically needed hospital and physician care. Health care is to be provided based on need no matter where you live and no matter how rich or poor you are. This is what Canadians won when we achieved Public Medicare.<\/p>\n

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For-profit hospitals\/clinics routinely violate the Canada Health Act and charge patients thousands of dollars for medically needed services<\/a><\/span>. Not only is it illegal to do so, but their prices are also exorbitant.<\/p>\n