By Doug Draper
What is it with Ontario’s health minister Deb Matthews?
Since the London-area MPP assumed the Liberal government’s health portfolio in fall of 2009, she seems to have gone out of her way to shun the concerns expressed by Niagara municipal leaders and thousands of the region’s residents while eating virtually every bit of self-serving p.r. the Niagara Health System feeds her whole.
Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews says 'no' again.
Whether Matthews is making a concerted effort to let the NHS, the board responsible for managing most of the region’s hospital services, take the heat for everything that goes wrong in the system or whether she actually believes the NHS is doing an “excellent” job, many in Niagara view her disinterest in their concerns as a complete abdication of leadership.
And so it went again this March 2 when the province’s NDP leader, Andrea Horwath, asked Matthews in the legislature if she would heed the call from Niagara’s regional government and seven of its 12 local municipal councils to undertake an investigation of the NHS and the way it is implementing its controversial “hospital improvement plan.”
Even as the region’s council puts the finishing touches this week on a letter to Matthews, urging her to approve an investigation, the health minister had this to say; “I share the goal of everyone in Niagara when I say our job is to improve health care in Niagara for the people of Niagara. The NHS is doing excellent work. There is new leadership there (and) they are moving forward to implement the hospital improvement plan….
“I have no plans to appoint an investigator at this time,” Matthews continued. “There have been several investigations, surveys and community engagements done in that area. In fact, Dr. Jack Kitts, who is the CEO of the Ottawa Hospital, had an engagement there; over 5,000 people showed up to discuss the Niagara health improvement plan. We are moving forward to improve health care for people in Niagara.”
Sue Salzer, a leader of a south Niagara-based citizen group called the Yellow Shirt Brigade, responded to Matthews words this way; “There is nothing I can say about her answer right now that is fit to publish.” Then as Salzer regained her composure, she added residents who have seen emergency rooms close at hospitals the NHS manages in Fort Erie and Port Colborne, and have see continued numbers of medical beds and other services reduced would certainly “dispute (the minister’s) claim of improved health care.”
”You are wrong in your denial of an investigation,” said Salzer in an “open letter” she wrote to Matthews following the minister’s March 2 refusal to approve an investigation. “All of Niagara is speaking with one voice to tell you a serious problem exists and is escalating. Do the right thing and tell our Mayors and our Communities that you will listen.”
Niagara At Large is posting below the March 2 hansard of the exchange between NDP leader Andrea Horwath and the province’s health minister Deb Matthews. Following that is the text of Sue Salzer’s open letter to the minister.
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO
Wednesday 2 March 2011
HEALTH CARE
Ms. Andrea Horwath: My question is to the Premier. Families in Niagara region are frustrated with their health care system, and for good reason. They’ve seen emergency rooms close in Fort Erie and Port Colborne and others services disappear from their communities.
Last month, Niagara regional council approved a resolution calling for the independent investigation of the Niagara Health System.
Is the Premier ready to listen to the residents of Niagara and call for an independent investigation?
Hon. Dalton McGuinty: To the Minister of Health.
Hon. Deborah Matthews: Thank you to the member opposite for the question.
I share the goal of everyone in Niagara when I say our job is to improve health care in Niagara for the people of Niagara. The NHS is doing excellent work. There is new leadership there, a very capable interim leadership of Sue Matthews. They are moving forward to implement the hospital improvement plan.
I have no plans to appoint an investigator at this time. There have been several investigations, surveys and community engagements done in that area. In fact, Dr. Jack Kitts, who is the CEO of the Ottawa Hospital, had an engagement there; over 5,000 people showed up to discuss the Niagara health improvement plan.
We are moving forward to improve health care for people in Niagara, and I look forward to the supplementary.
The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?
Ms. Andrea Horwath: I would guess that 5,000 people showed us because 5,000 people are just a small example of how many people are angry about what’s happening in the Niagara health situation.
Niagara Falls, Welland, Fort Erie have all passed similar resolutions. People are looking for an accountable, transparent health care system that actually responds to their needs. An independent investigation into the NHS would just be a start.
As families lose health-care services and feel increasingly distrustful of the decision-making process, why won’t the Premier and this minister take the advice of regional leaders and order an investigation that they have called for?
Hon. Deborah Matthews: Just last week, the Niagara Health System shared with the community exactly how the changes they are making are improving health care for people. Wait times are down.
Let me share with you how far wait times have come down in Niagara since 2003:
—hip replacements are less than half of what they were; we’ve been able to cut 200 days off hip replacements;
—knee replacements are down by 36%, 127 days of less waiting;
—cataract surgery is down;
—MRI outpatient is down by 33%; and
—outpatient CT scans are also cut in half.
We are getting excellent results. I know the people of Niagara are looking forward to the opening of the St. Catharines General Hospital. For the first time they will be able to get cancer care much closer to home.
An Open Letter to Health Minister Matthews
We wish to send you a sincere Thank you for the lesson today on how to produce Shineola.
Your answer to a direct question from NDP leader Horwath was masterful distortion.
Port Colborne and Fort Erie have lost Emergency Rooms, all Medical beds and operating rooms.
The patients from the Southern Tier of Niagara will dispute your claim of improved health care.
In your response you carefully chose to use percentages and number of days of reductions in a variety of medical procedure areas. Had you announced the actual number of days patients are awaiting these procedures it would be obvious there is a serious problem.
How wise you were to avoid mentioning Emergency Department wait-times
or ambulance off-load wait time or the number of patients in Emergency rooms of Welland and Niagara Falls waiting for a bed to be available.
In Fort Erie there were indeed 5,000 people show up for the Jack Kitts charade. As Ms Horwath surmised correctly there was no community engagement or “discussion”. The Town turned out and in a singular voice shouted a loud NO to the proposal of a “Hospital Improvement” Plan.” Such a waste of breath for no one cared to listen.
The first 20% of the HIP has been implemented with overwhelming disastrous results. A correction to you…There has been no review or investigation of the results. Our Communities are demanding an investigation before planned closures of other services are implemented.
Independent motions demanding an investigation have been sent to you from the Municipalities of Niagara Falls, Welland, Thorold, Wainfleet, Fort Erie, Port Colborne, and even St Catharines where your new Hospital is being built. Niagara Regional Council has joined these voices along with a petition signed by over 7,000 residents. You are wrong in your denial of an investigation.
All of Niagara is speaking with one voice to tell you a serious problem exists and is escalating.
Do the right thing and tell our Mayors and our Communities that you will listen.
Sincerely
Susan Salzer
Fort Erie.
(Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary on matters of interest and concern to residents in our greater Niagara region and beyond.)
Niagara At Large 
Well done, Sue.
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The definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result. We knew perfectly well Matthews wasn’t going to budge. The vote at Region was not about that — it was about Niagara deciding to pull together, for once. I hope we now can move forward as a region to plan what we need in terms of healthcare. It’s time for the Region to take a leaf out of Vance Badawey’s book; let’s try proactive instead of reactive.
As for Matthews: she’s is doing a terrific job for the McGuinty government. I’m sure that Dalton values her highly, as he should. Come October, however, we all have the opportunity to show just how highly we value the McGuinty government.
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The gov’t is thumbing its nose at the communities that are begging for justice and help in the most critical life and death responsibility they have to deal with & they are failing miserably!! Health Care is a right that all people are entitled to and deserve…… all of Niagara is suffering and losing lives unnecessarily while the powers that be turn a blind eye to it all.They obviously are ignoring the fact that they are Civil Servants and should be listening to the needs of the people they were elected to serve. We need to have an investigation into the NHS to put an end to the misuse & mismanagement of the services rendered to the people so far into their tenure.It is a very sad set of circumstances that is giving people far less and paying far more with no promise of improvement since they write that the services are excellent……..the people say it’s the opposite …. who do you believe??
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The people of Fort
Erie and Port Colborne have sent over 16,000 signatures to the LHIN this is not the year to ignore the will of the people, if they the Dalton gang don.t get with the program we will boot the arrogant servants of the people out on their collective butts, look what happened in Tunisia.the natives of Niagara are restless.
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