For 100 years, Ontario has built our system of local public hospitals that operate on a non-profit basis, in the public interest. Under the cover of the pandemic, the Ford government began to make plans to privatize Ontario’s public hospital services, including surgeries and diagnostics to private for-profit hospitals and clinics.
A Detailed Account of the Ford Government’s privatization plans prepared by the Ontario Health Coalition, a non-profit citizens group advocating for quality public health care for everyone across the province
Posted September 9th, 2024 on Niagara At Large
On January 16, 2023, Premier Doug Ford announced his plan to open new private for-profit day hospitals in three cities, expand other for-profit clinics and shunt tens of millions in public funding to private clinics and hospitals.
The premier said that 50% of the surgeries done in our public hospitals could be cut and privatized. This would devastate our vital public hospital services unless Ontarians stop the Ford government from privatizing them.
For 100 years, Ontario has built our system of local public hospitals that operate on a non-profit basis, in the public interest.
Under the cover of the pandemic, the Ford government began to make plans to privatize Ontario’s public hospital services, including surgeries and diagnostics to private for-profit hospitals and clinics.
In July 2021, they increased funding to private clinics by $24 million. In January 2021, they announced new licenses for “independent health facilities” (which is the name for private clinics, 98% of which are for-profit) to perform eye surgeries in place of public hospitals.
The Ministry of Health issued a “call for applications” and clarified applicants could be a “corporation” rather than a doctor: “The Applicant could be a corporation that operates a Health Facility that meets the criteria for submitting an Application.”
In 2023, they awarded thousands of surgeries to private clinics. The private clinics that were awarded the licenses are TLC Laser Eye Centres in Waterloo, Herzig Eye Institute and Focus Eye Centre [9] in Ottawa, and Windsor Surgical Centre
To read this entire Ontario Health Coalition piece on the Ford Government’s Plan to privatize our hospitals, which is rich with detail, click on – https://www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca/index.php/briefing-note-the-ford-governments-plan-to-privatize-ontarios-public-hospital-services/
Ontario Health Coalition’s Mission & Mandate – Our primary goal is to protect and improve our public health care system. We work to honour and strengthen the principles of the Canada Health Act. We are led by our shared commitment to core values of equality, democracy, social inclusion and social justice; and by the five principles of the Act: universality; comprehensiveness; portability; accessibility and public administration. We are a non-profit, non-partisan public interest activist coalition and network.
For more on the Ontario Health Coaliton and its efforts to protect and preserve our public health system, click on – https://www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca/
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“A Politician Thinks Of The Next Election. A Leader Thinks Of The Next Generation.” – Bernie Sanders
Niagara At Large 
I just can’t take Ford’s duplicity any longer. People need to smarten up, educate themselves and act before our systems (not just health care) are run by oligarchs (rich political leaders with only their own interests paramount) and the average person suffers as a result. Having worked in the health care system for over 40 years and retired for 15, the subtle but DEADLY changes in health care are both intentional and not for the benefit of anyone but, as Bernie would say, the top 1% and private insurance companies.
When I graduated in 1970, the system was efficient and patient care was superb. I can also attest that the workplace had a pleasant and supportive atmosphere for staff and public support and satisfaction was immense. Now the faults in the system are blamed on the staff who do the best they can with their hands tied behind their backs. They are fleeing careers in health care in droves, exacerbating the situation even more.
The public is way too complacent. Not unlike Trump, Ford loves the poorly educated. Equally bad are those who don’t even vote but then seem to think that they have the right to complain when something affects them negatively. They don’t deserve that right. They gave up that privilege by their action, or should I say, lack of action.
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