The head of the Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce says with a proposed new acute care hospital on the horizon, it's time to get the private sector more involved with healthcare.
CEO Matt Marchand quickly says he is not talking about privatizing health care, but rather the creation of a local industry around the new hospital.
"We want to keep it the way it is. Single-payer is a great system," he says.
As the population ages and the cost of healthcare continue to rise, Marchand says he believes entrepreneurs may be able to provide greater flexibility and innovation at a lower cost. He also says it would be a great jobs creator.
"Let's think of what a campus of private-sector entrepreneurs and innovators can do to help inject some additional opportunity to help drive, if you will, a health-science cluster here in Windsor-Essex," he says.
The private-sector wouldn't deliver healthcare, but Marchand asks "is there a way to get things faster? Is there a way to deliver services cheaper?"
He envisions inventors working on new equipment to service the new hospital and private companies working to supply the hospital with what it needs to meet the demands of the future.
Marchand is speaking about the possibilities following the release of a fifth report by the chamber on changes to health care.
The report entitled the "Health Transformation Action Plan" makes three main recommendations including improving connectivity between health researchers and entrepreneurs. It also recommends reviewing patient outcomes for value spent and creating more efficient supply chains for goods and services.
