January 17, 2023
Premier Ford is continuing to dismantle our publicly-funded, publicly-delivered healthcare system. First, he restricted the wages of publicly-paid healthcare workers. Now that our public hospitals can't keep up because of staffing shortages, Premier Ford’s solution is to allow new private hospitals to open with no wage restrictions. This will result in no labour shortages at the private hospitals, because of higher wages; they will also get paid more per procedure than in the public hospitals.
Using more money to do the same procedures and generate a shareholder profit doesn’t make a lot of sense for Ontario’s taxpayer, but that’s the plan Ford appears to be proposing.
The Premier assures everyone that they will only pay with their OHIP card – “nothing to see here”. Just wait, soon you will be paying with your credit card for medical services that used to be covered. Look at how private clinics doing lab work is working out for Ontarians: hours and access have been cut. Now, people must pay out of their pockets for certain tests that the government no longer covers.
With an extra charge here, and an extra charge there, the cost adds up quickly. If your family member is sick, you will do everything possible to find the money - until you can't find any more.
The universal healthcare system that Canadians have built is being torn down by governments like Ontario's, which believes that the private sector with their profit margins can do a better job. We have seen this movie before, and it never ends up better for working people.
The NDP started our public healthcare system with Tommy Douglas. We will continue to fight for a system where your level of care is not determined by your credit card limit.
Ontarians need to stop Premier Ford's privatization plan.
- John
#onpoli #ontario #healthcare #healthcarecrisis #privatization #northernontario #doctorshortage #nurseshortage #healthcareworkershortage #OntarioNDP
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