WE DESERVE ANSWERS ABOUT
HEALTH CARE
John Tory calls on Dalton
McGuinty to end the silence on doctor talks and hospital crisis
(Queen’s
Park) – Ontario PC Leader John Tory today called on the McGuinty Liberal
government to provide answers on the future of health care in the
province.
“When the
health of Ontario’s citizens rests in the balance, it is unacceptable
that the McGuinty Liberal government remains silent,” said Tory. “I
think the people of Ontario deserve answers from this government.”
Tomorrow,
for the first time in close to 20 years, a group of doctors will take job
action holding a one-day meeting and forcing hundreds of elective
surgeries to be cancelled across Ontario. The action comes as a result of
little movement in negotiations with the government and continued
uncertainty across the health care sector. In fact, the government has
said it will carry on imposing its poorly planned changes without the
support of doctors, hospitals, and nurses.
The question is, where does this leave patients?
“Despite
knowing about this planned one-day meeting by anesthesiologists for
several weeks, the McGuinty Liberal government continues to sit on the
sidelines,” Tory said. “In January they only met with the doctors four
times. Doctors are getting a message that this government doesn’t take
their concerns seriously.”
Meanwhile,
almost two months have passed since the Legislature adjourned for
Christmas, and the hospital funding crisis remains. Despite submitting
balanced budget plans in October, hospitals around the province still do
not have final funding figures for this fiscal year – which ends less
than 2 months from now. Nurses are being laid off, service and bed cuts
are already underway, our emergency rooms are full and in chaos, and the
government continues to stumble ahead without an agreement with doctors.
“This
government has no plan for health care and are not listening to those on
the front-lines. There is no clearer proof of the sheer incompetence of
this McGuinty Liberal government. It’s no wonder doctors are choosing to vote with their
feet,” said John Baird, PC Health Critic.
