Ontario passes health reform bill that expands private delivery of care

Ontario has passed a health-reform bill that will allow more private clinics to offer certain publicly funded surgeries and procedures in an effort to cut long wait lists for care.

Cataract surgeries and diagnostic imaging and testing will be expanded while the government will create an entirely new system to perform hip and knee replacement surgeries.

There are about 900 private clinics currently operating across the province, the vast majority of them for diagnostic imaging and testing.

The moves are part of the government’s plan to decrease wait times and reduce a massive backlog of surgeries, which stands at more than 200,000 procedures.

Hospitals have said they are concerned about losing staff to private clinics.

The new bill has drawn criticism from opposition parties and health-care workers.

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The Ontario Nurses’ Association says the province should invest in hospitals to perform more surgeries rather than set up a new system.

The Ontario Medical Association had proposed a similar system to deal with the surgical backlog, but wanted the private clinics to operate as non-profits.

New Democrat health critic France Gelinas says the legislation fails to protect patients from being upsold.