Ontario Health Minister Finally Yields To Calls For Niagara Hospital Investigation

By Doug Draper

After more than a year of stubborn refusals, it appears that Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews has said okay to some kind of an “investigation” or “evaluation” of the way the Niagara Health System has been managing hospital services in the region.

Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews finally bends to calls for Niagara hospital review

The minister, who has repeatedly brushed away calls from Niagara citizen groups and municipal leaders for an investigation, sent a letter to the regional government’s chair, Gary Burroughs, this May 31 saying she will now allow some kind of “third-party review” into how the NHS, an administrative board created under the province’s former Conservative government, is rolling out plans for hospital services here.

“After thoughtful deliberation and consideration, I have come to the conclusion that an independent, third-party evaluation of the implemented phases of the (NHS’s) Hospital Improvement Plan (HIP) would be valuable,” stated Matthews in the letter. “I agree that such an evaluation would be best served by requesting the (Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant Local Health Integration Network or LHIN, for short,) establish a tripartite steering committee to develop the terms of reference for the evaluation. Representation on this committee must include LYIN board members, HNS board members, and members of regional council as determined by the regional chair. The LHIN board is responsible under their mandate to establish such a committee and determine its membership and timelines.”

Port Colborne, Ontario Mayor Vance Badawey, who has witness hospital services in his community diminished under the NHS and its hospital plan, told Niagara At Large this June 1 that “the satisfying thing about this is that (Matthews) has said ‘yes’ to a third-party review. However, it is extremely critical that it is done right.”
“All stakeholders should be involved,” added Badawey, including front-line doctors, nurses and others in the hospital system, and it is also vital that the investigation be region-wide in the sense that it establishes the domino effect of closing emergency rooms at hospitals in Port Colborne and Fort Erie, for example, has done to tax the time and resources of other hospitals in the region.

Badawey’s municipality was one of seven in Niagara, including St. Catharines, Fort Erie, Wainfleet, Welland, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Niagara Falls, that passed resolutions calling for an independent review of the NHS’s hospital management decisions and plans. Earlier this year, a majority of Niagara regional councillors also called for such an investigation, and so have thousands of residents who’ve signed petitions across the region.

Niagara Falls MPP Kim Craitor, a member of the province’s Liberal government and another stalwart voice calling for an NHS investigation, almost looked to some in the region like he was being left to twist in the wind by his own government on this one. This June 1, however, he said he was pleased to see that “we have done what has been asked for.”

Craitor acknowledged that it may have been a long time coming. But he recalled sitting on Niagara Falls council in the years when, up to 1993, the former Mike Harris/Tim Hudak Conservative government was still in power, and being told; ‘ There is going to be a Niagara Health System and you are going to lose (hospital services in local municipalities), and when we asked; ‘Will there be consultation, basically the answer was go to hell.’

So as stubborn as Matthews has been (and those are NAL’s words, not Craitor’s, the bottomline said Craitor “is at least we listened at the end.”

Matthews and the province’s Liberal government have also been pressed repeatedly by the opposition New Democratic Party for an investigation. This June 1, Andrea Horwath, leader of the party said she welcomes this review from a “government that has repeatedly ignored grassroots calls for an investigation into the Niagara Health System from the community, local leadership and medical personnel”

“Niagara families are worried about the state of their health care and they deserve some answers before they vote,” added Horwath with reference to the provincial election scheduled for Oct. 6. “After months of stalling, the McGuinty Liberals have finally agreed to an investigation but we won’t see findings until after election day. That’s just not acceptable.”

Badawey, whose hospital in Port Colborne has lost many of its services, including its emergency room a year ago, said he’s less interested in election dates than he is in getting a full and fair investigation.

“Politics should not play any role in this,” said the Port Colborne mayor. “Quite frankly, the only thing we should be looking at is providing fair and equitable hospital services for all Niagara residents.

Niagara At Large also attempted to contact Niagara Falls, Ontario  Mayor Jim Diodati, who has also been a prime mover in calling for an investigation, but he was out of town at press time.

Niagara At Large will have more in the days and weeks ahead on this issue.

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