Following a bombshell report by the Ontario Health Coalition alleging the Ford government prioritizes private clinics over public hospitals, the Waterloo Region Health Coalition is calling for an urgent investigation.
Jim Stewart, chair of the coalition, painted a grim picture of local healthcare. “Our hospitals are on their deathbed,” he declared, blaming “tremendous rate” funding increases for private clinics while public hospitals face “chronic underfunding.”
The report, titled “Robbing the public to build the private,” revealed a staggering 212% funding jump for private clinics in one year, contrasting with a measly 0.5% increase for public hospitals. This, according to Stewart, translated to 1,199 vital service closures across Ontario in 2023, including five operating rooms shuttered in Waterloo Region alone.
Adding fuel to the fire, Stewart highlighted 140 vacant registered nurse positions and expressed concern for overstretched staff feeling “burnt out, frustrated, and disrespected.” He questioned the validity of the government’s claim of hiring 30,000 nurses, stating, “If that’s true, where are they? We haven’t seen them.”
Recent funding announcements totaling $3.4 million for local health centers were dismissed by Stewart as “propagandistic” gestures. He pointed to the Financial Accountability Officer’s findings of underspending in healthcare, concluding, “They throw a few dollars here and there, but the reality is they’re chronically underfunding our system.”
The year-long study, based on interviews, Freedom of Information requests, and collaborations with the Financial Accountability Officer, demands an open investigation into the government’s funding practices. Whether the call will be heeded remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the future of Ontario’s healthcare, especially in Waterloo Region, hangs in the balance.
