Ontario’s Privatization of Surgery Is a Threat to Canadian Health Care
Ontario premier Doug Ford is outsourcing surgical procedures, handing health care provision over to entities that oppose Medicare. The measure is another step toward the dismantling of public health care in Canada.
Ontario premier Doug Ford and deputy premier and minister of health Sylvia Jones at a news conference in Toronto announcing the privatization of health care services. January 16, 2023 (R. J. Johnston / Toronto Star via Getty Images)
Last week, Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government laid out its plans to privatize 50 percent of surgical procedures. The measure has been made possible by the crisis in Ontario’s health system, induced by years of austerity that have left hospitals underfunded. Ford’s action will not, however, solve the crisis. What it will do is ensure that some health care administrators, executives, and physicians profit at Ontarians’ expense.
Under the new plan, surgical procedures — chiefly cataracts, MRIs, CT scans, and hip and knee replacements — will move from hospitals into “Independent Health Facilities” (IHFs).
“That will allow additional capacity at the hospitals to do the serious surgeries,” Ford said.
This article is for subscribers only. Please login or subscribe to access our full archives and beautiful print and digital magazine starting at just $3 a month.