Struggling with a strained health care system, the Ontario government introduced a plan Thursday to ease the burden on hospitals across the province. The government will notably introduce a bill which, if passed, will help patients whose doctors have said they no longer need to be treated in hospital, to be transferred to a care home. long term which is not their first choice.
These patients, also “alternate level of care patients”, occupy thousands of places in hospitals in the province, when many of them should rather be in long-term care homes. According to the Globe and Mailthere were nearly 5,000 in Ontario in May, 1,700 more than at the same time last year.
“The patient will not be forced to leave the hospital, but the bill allows for a conversation with the patient,” said Long-Term Care Minister Paul Calandra.
This is not the first time the Ontario government has taken such action. In August 2021, the province amended the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act for the same reasons. However, the decree could only be used in the event of major bottlenecks.
The Ford government estimates that it can free up 2,500 hospitals thanks to the measures proposed on Thursday.
Freelancers to reduce the wait for surgeries
The province will also make more use of independent health facilities to reduce the number of backlogs in the province. “We will look first to places where the infrastructure is already in place,” explained the Minister of Health, Sylvia Jones. In a report released in February, the Ontario Medical Association determined that one million surgeries were missed between February 2020 and December 2021.
The government will also invest more money to increase the number of surgeries at existing pediatric hospitals and private clinics covered by OHIP. Health Minister Sylvia Jones, who is also Deputy Premier, insisted that Ontarians “will always have access to health care through their health card,” not by their credit card.
Ms. Jones and Premier Doug Ford have been defending their management of the province’s health network for several days. Nearly 25 hospitals had to reduce their activities in July and August due to lack of staff. The Premier assured earlier this month that all Ontarians were getting the care they needed, a claim that has been questioned by some medical professionals.
This story is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.