As expected, Doug Ford announced a plan to move more outpatient surgeries to private clinics. While I have a column on this coming out later today that goes into my thinking on this in greater depth, I did want to share some of the more salient tweets on this through the day, because they’re asking the right questions.
Public solutions to reduce surgical wait times:
1. Create centralized waitlists for next available surgeon
2. Extend OR times to evenings/weekends by hiring more staffWhy didn't the Ontario government exhaust these options first…before investing in for-profit healthcare?
— Dr. Amit Arya (@AmitAryaMD) January 16, 2023
The Auditor's office hired "mystery shoppers" who contacted 25 different IHFs, private hospital, private clinics.
Add-on fees for OHIP-insured cataract surgery ranged from $450-$5000 extra per eye for "non-OHIP lens."
Some were told purchasing the specialty lens was mandatory.
— Michael Warner (@drmwarner) January 15, 2023
https://twitter.com/robert_hiltz/status/1615014400385077251
Based on today's announcement:
1. Patients will have no protection vs upsellingWe need enforceable rules not a complaints pathway that presumes medical literacy of patients
Clinics should not be making margin on hardware
2. There is no plan to protect public hospital staffing
— Michael Warner (@drmwarner) January 16, 2023
We should note the interview that provincial health minister Sylvia Jones did Power & Politics, where the question of these clinics upselling to patients was raised, and Jones dismissed any concerns as this being about “choice,” which is a red flag.
"I wouldn't call it upselling. I would call it patient options," said Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones when asked about the risk of patients being persuaded to spend money at for-profit clinics. pic.twitter.com/0iBGMktnXj
— Power & Politics (@PnPCBC) January 16, 2023
Jagmeet Singh was, of course, demanding that Justin Trudeau swoop in to save the day, in spite of not really having any particular federal levers to deploy.
What tools does Trudeau have to force Ford to back down? He’s already having a hard enough time attaching outcomes to funding. He can cut Canada Health Transfers by the same amount as is being diverted to privatized service, but then what? pic.twitter.com/zpthgH9Ysb
— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) January 16, 2023
Meanwhile, Chrystia Freeland was busy subtweeting the whole thing.
The federal government and @CMA_Docs are aligned on many priorities for the future of our health care system, and we believe in a public system that works for Canadians and our health care workers. Thank you for the insightful discussion today! pic.twitter.com/FIZhmzKuG3
— Chrystia Freeland (@cafreeland) January 17, 2023
Nurses are integral to our health care system. We know they are under enormous strain, and all governments can work together to support their hard work. I spoke with @CanadaNurses to discuss improvements and solutions to the challenges they face. pic.twitter.com/r3pAIK5X1J
— Chrystia Freeland (@cafreeland) January 17, 2023
And of course, the Beaverton had one of the most salient responses to Ford’s announcement, as they are wont to.
Doctors: We need our own Jonathans so we don’t spend half our day charting, and we can treat more patients.
Ford: What’s that? More private clinics? Coming right up!
Doctors…
Ford: I do this because I care.
cc @DGlaucomflecken https://t.co/1vfT9xZ1Jy— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) January 17, 2023
Ukraine Dispatch, Day 328:
The death toll from the Russian missile strike on the apartment building in Dnipro has risen to 40, as rescuers continue to sort through the rubble. There was also Russian shelling in Kherson, killing three people. Meanwhile, Russians may have finally taken Soledar, though it remains unconfirmed, though that came at a horrific cost of thousands of dead or wounded Russians—a tactic where the Ukrainians are trying to exhaust the Russians leaving them vulnerable in other areas.
https://twitter.com/tpyxanews/status/1615112061951909894