Health care workers and patient advocates are expected to turn out by the thousands to rally against the Ford government's restructuring of the health care system at Queen's Park next week.
What's being called a Health Action Day next Tuesday was organized by the Ontario Health Coalition. It will see thousands of people in the health sector including doctors, nurses, and support workers, condemn changes that they believe will lead to more privatization in Ontario.
“The Ford government has given itself unprecedented powers to order the privatization of virtually all health care services and leaked documents show that privatization plans are already underway,” Coalition Executive Director Natalie Mehra said in a statement. “Now they are cutting half-a-billion from OHIP services, cutting public health, restructuring and privatizing ambulance services, imposing funding constraints on hospitals and health care. We are hearing from thousands of people who are upset and angry at the betrayal. We will not allow them to cut and privatize health care. This is just the beginning of the fightback.”
Within the pages of the Tories' first provincial budget, delivered earlier this month, are plans to cut the number of public health units from 35 to 10 by 2021. The province is also looking at Ontario's 59 local ambulance services into just 10. At the start of the month, eligibility changes made by the government for free prescription drugs kicked in. As a result, OHIP+ no longer covers those under 25 for medications if they or their parents have private insurance.
Health Minister Christine Elliott introduced legislation in February to merge the 14 Local Health Integration Networks (LHIN) with six other health agencies to create Ontario Health, a super-agency responsible for the province’s $60 billion health-care system.
The Ontario Health Coalition previously warned this new super agency will operate in secret, without public consultations, and will lead to more privatization.
As part of the Health Action Day, staff at hospitals and health care facilities across the province will wear stickers that read "Stop Health Privatization" and will be handing out information regarding the government's restructuring plans.
"Ontario nurses are extremely concerned that the government's restructuring plans will mean less access for our patients and their families to quality clinical services in public hospitals, more user fees and fewer RNs (registered nurses), and health professionals to provide their care," said Vicki McKenna, president of the Ontario Nurses’ Association.
The Ford government maintains the restructuring will save the province hundreds of millions of dollars without costing frontline workers their jobs.
The health care rally outside of Queen's Park in Toronto will begin at 12 p.m. on April 30.