20,000 signatures reached
To: Premier Doug Ford:
Don’t privatize Ontario’s surgeries. Protect public health care.
In the middle of a health care crisis, Ontario is calling on you to protect and invest in our public health care system.
Experts have been clear: taking public dollars from public health care and giving it to private, for-profit surgical clinics will have an adverse impact on access to health care for Ontarians.
We need real investment in our health care system — one that will address the staffing crisis, not worsen it, help build up our public services and ensure the best health care for all Ontarians.
We, the undersigned, urge you to NOT give public money to for-profit surgery clinics and invest in our public healthcare system instead.
Why is this important?
Ford just announced he's directing public money toward private surgery clinics. This means that a number of OHIP-funded procedures will be moved out of public hospitals into for-profit facilities. [1]
Ford's actions are only worsening the healthcare crisis. He ignored health care workers, capped public servants' wages, failed to implement paid sick days, and started privatizing more services — with devastating consequences. [2-4] He's underspent on healthcare by a whopping $900 million and today's announcement will only divert more resources away from an already underfunded healthcare system in crisis. [5,6]
Doctors and major healthcare unions are ringing the alarm bells about the adverse effects this move will have on our public healthcare system — warning us all that this will hurt access to health care and the services we receive. [7,8]
If we can tap into the outrage and get loud and organized right now against Ford's dangerous move towards privatizing health care, it could force him to backtrack. Add your name demanding that the Ford government doesn't direct public money to private surgery clinics.
Sources:
[1] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ford-jones-health-surgeries-private-clinics-1.6715117<br>
[2] https://cupe.ca/decision-overturn-bill-124-affirms-ontario-workers-rights-are-human-rights<br>
[3] https://tod.ontariondp.ca/news/ford-conservatives-have-voted-no-paid-sick-days-25-times-2021<br>
[4] https://www.thespec.com/opinion/contributors/2022/05/23/remember-why-our-seniors-died-in-long-term-care-homes.html<br>
[5] https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2022/11/29/doug-ford-government-spent-35b-less-than-expected-in-first-half-of-2022-23-budget-watchdog-finds.html?rf<br>
[6] https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2022/10/24/2540327/0/en/Ontario-Hospital-Crisis-Province-Wide-and-By-Community.html<br>
[7] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-doug-ford-private-clinics-health-care-1.6712444<br>
[8]
https://www.ona.org/news-posts/20230116-private-clinics-risk/<br>