(February 21, 2024) By: Isaac Callan, Global News<\/p>\n
A health-care advocacy group in Ontario is accusing the Ford government of deliberately underfunding public health care to benefit for-profit clinics in the province.<\/p>\n
A new report by the Ontario Health Coalition has compiled a master list of unused operating room capacity \u2014 space the organization says the government could use instead of relying on private clinics to solve the surgical backlog.<\/p>\n
\u201cHundreds of millions of dollars in public money is being used to dismantle and privatize our public hospitals, robbing the public to build the private,\u201d Natalie Mehra, executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition, said as the report was released.<\/p>\n
The report is based on freedom of information requests, government budget documents and media reports, among other sources.<\/p>\n
At the heart of its findings, the report said multiple hospitals had operating rooms that are functional but not being used. It found Alexandria, Brockville, Cambridge, Hawkesbury, Kitchener, London, North Bay, Oakville, Sault Ste. Marie, St. Catharines, Southampton and Wiarton all have unused rooms. The report also suggested operating rooms in other places, including Oshawa, Barrie and Kingston, are being underused through afternoon, evening or weekend closures.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for Minister of Health Sylvia Jones said the Ontario Health Coalition was \u201cideologically opposed to any action our government is taking\u201d to expand access to health care.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are continuing to take action to build on the progress we have achieved including having a record-breaking year in 2023, adding 17,000 new nurses and 2,400 new physicians to our healthcare workforce,\u201d the spokesperson said, adding the surgical backlog had been reduced to pre-pandemic levels.<\/p>\n
At the beginning of 2023, the Ford government announced it would be moving ahead with a permanent change to how health care operates in the province.<\/p>\n
The three-part plan is set for some procedures and diagnostics to take place in non-hospital settings.<\/p>\n
The policy, which allows private businesses to profit from health care funded by provincial insurance, is designed to culminate with moving some hip and knee replacements in private settings.<\/p>\n
The government said health care would remain free at the point of use and promised the policy would make medical appointments. Opposition politicians and advocacy groups cried foul, saying it was part of a plan to privatize the health system.<\/p>\n
The Ontario Health Coalition report also argues the government has imposed \u201creal dollar\u201d cuts to the health budget, forcing some local hospitals to make difficult decisions.<\/p>\n
It said for-profit clinics receive higher payments than public hospitals, something the advocacy group suggests will incentivize more private clinics and move people away from hospitals.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe current provincial government has chronically underspent its health care budget, even as our public hospitals have been thrown into deficits and crisis,\u201d the report said. \u201cThe fact is that the privatization of our public hospitals is a policy choice looking for a rationale.\u201d<\/p>\n