The London and Ontario Health Coalitions continue to raise concerns about the Ford government's plans to consolidate the province's health networks into a single mega entity.
Health Minister Christine Elliott introduced legislation in February to merge the 14 Local Health Integration Networks (LHIN) with six other health agencies to create Ontario Health, a super-agency responsible for the province's $60 billion health-care system.
The coalitions argue the new super agency will operate in secret, without public consultations, and will lead to more privatization.
"Previously with the LHIN legislation they had to make their meetings public. They let the public know when they were meeting and published the minutes of the meeting," said Jeff Hanks, co-chair of the London Health Coalition. "The Ford super agency is meeting in private. They've got people that used to be from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and their skills are at making money for profit and shareholders, and they don't know too much about health care. This is really concerning."
In an effort to rally the public to fight the changes the coalitions believe will negatively affect patients, the health care advocacy groups have been holding town hall meetings in cities across the province.
Instead of consolidating services, Hanks stresses reinvestment is what Ontario's health care system really needs.
"Our hospitals are at 110 per cent capacity all the time," said Hanks. "We've got hallway medicine so we think if they give us more acute care beds in hospitals, more front-line nurses we could give better care and reduce wait times."
Hanks stated the government is moving ahead with its proposed restructuring of the health-care system without conducting the proper public consultations. However, that claim is directly refuted in a statement sent to Blackburn News on behalf of the Ontario health minister.
"The government consulted with patients, families, nurses, doctors and others who provide direct patient care as well as the premier’s council on improving healthcare and ending hallway medicine and its working groups, the Minister’s patient and family advisory council, and health system and academic experts," said Hayley Chazan, spokesperson for the health minister.
Chazan went on to state that Elliott has toured several hospitals, long-term care homes, hospices, and harm reduction sites since being elected.
Elliott had previously said Ontario Health would improve efficiencies and allow patients to seamlessly transition from one care provider to another.
The coalitions are appealing to the public to attend a planned rally over the health care changes at Queen's Park on April 30.
