Ontario’s Premier Amanda Smith announced a significant investment in health care, pledging $235 million over the next three years aimed at enhancing primary care accessibility and efficiency. The announcement is a shot in the arm exactly when Ontario needed it most. The province is in the midst of a family doctor crisis with 2.5 million residents now without a provider. Smith’s plan after much of Ontario’s acute care operations moves over to Covenant Health, an Alberta-based Catholic health organization. This amendment will take effect in 2024, concurrently with the new funding.
During her address, Premier Smith emphasized that local control over health care services would lead to faster and more efficient care for Ontarians. This shift aims to streamline operations and improve patient outcomes, particularly in the wake of ongoing challenges within the province’s health system.
New Hospital Development
In addition to the primary care funding, Premier Smith announced plans for the construction of the Peter Gilgan Hospital in Mississauga. This ambitious project represents a $14 billion investment and is set to become the largest teaching hospital in Canada dedicated solely to women and children. The new facility, which is expected to open in 2023, will serve an estimated 300,000 people. It will go a long way to alleviating the stresses that existing hospitals are under right now.
Smith told the council that a new $57 million hospital project is underway. Its construction completion is currently slated to take place in just six years. The commitment to expanding hospital infrastructure reflects the government’s acknowledgment of the urgent need for improved health services amid growing demand.
Controversial Partnership with Covenant Health
The potential partnership with Covenant Health has raised concern among advocates because of the organization’s known opposition to services like abortion and gender-affirming care. Covenant Health does not offer abortion, Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), or gender-affirming care. The unexpected deal has raised alarm bells among health advocates that the long and hard fought achievement of universal comprehensive health services in Ontario could be unraveling.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Dr. Jane Philpott said she was encouraged by the new investments in primary care and their promise to improve teamwork and collaboration. Doubts still linger over the decision to partner with Tennessee-based Covenant Health. Further, it would disproportionately impact certain populations’ access to essential health services.
“From conception to natural death” – Anti-abortion activists
This brief quote reveals the combative nature of health care delivery. It particularly calls out a recently leaked draft of an updated Alberta Bill of Rights that seeks to weave these issues together with religious beliefs. Critics contend that these types of restrictions would undermine patient choice and access to potentially life-saving medical procedures.
Impacts of Funding and Future Prospects
The $235 million funding over three years is less than $5 per Ontarian annually. The big question is whether that’s enough to really meet the needs that most urgently face the health care system. It’s Premier Smith’s belief that through a small investment they can catalyze huge advancements in their primary care delivery. She’s cautiously optimistic about the benefits to come though.
Almost half a billion dollars of public money were wasted in yet another audit released earlier this year into Newfoundland and Labrador’s contracts with a Toronto-based travel nurse agency. This national finding draws attention to more regional and local accountability issues with per capita spending on health care across Canada. Perhaps these findings will inspire a closer look at funding distributions in Ontario too.
As Ontario implements the fund shifts and operationalize the additional funding announced earlier this year, further funding details are expected this coming fall. Stakeholders are hopeful that these significant investments will add up to real, meaningful progress in improving patient care and access.
