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Opinion column
Published date May 18, 2024 • Last updated 29 minutes ago • Reading time 3 minutes
Mayor Matthew Shoemaker is frustrated that the Ontario Ministry of Health hasn't taken steps to help municipalities address their medical needs.
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Healthcare is the responsibility of the state and federal governments.
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That's clearly written in the law.
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The federal government is responsible for establishing and administering national standards through the Canada Health Act, while the provincial government's mission is to manage the health system, ensure it is working for Ontarians, and provide clinical leadership and financial support. It's about providing accountability.
State governments have a duty of care, a legal responsibility to provide reasonable standards of care and protect patient safety.
But in recent years, it has become the responsibility of local governments to consider and lobby for solutions to local health crises across their communities, states, and beyond with limited resources. It seems so.
Marie in Sault Ste., we have seen the establishment of a physician recruitment and retention committee. This committee was initially established and is now partially funded by the municipality.
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Multiple letters have been sent to Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones, Deputy Minister of Health and Addictions Michael Tibollo, Premier Doug Ford and others, calling for funding, expanded services and legal changes to help alleviate the crisis. .
Simply put, the Ontario government needs to invest more money, time and effort into improving our publicly funded health care system.
A shortage of family doctors is not the only problem. It's about waiting time. It's about overcrowded hospitals. This is about children on waiting lists for medical treatment beds. About addiction treatment and services. And the list goes on.
Mayor Matthew Shoemaker and the City Council are very unhappy. More than a dozen letters have been sent to those responsible in recent years, but the responses and actions have been few and far between.
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Local governments see the pain and suffering in their communities, but their hands are tied. The financial resources and legislative power are not there to help the community.
Grassroots organizations like the Health Care Coalition are lobbying.
Most recently, United Steelworkers Local 2251 defended its members, the original “brickers” who helped found group health centers, who are losing access to primary care as they age.
Sioux State Rep. Ross Romano told the Sioux Star in February that he would convene a committee to study the physician shortage and “focus on real solutions.” I understand that the committee has met, but we have yet to see any immediate solutions materialize, even with the May 31st deadline looming.
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The Ministry of Health claims it has made progress, adding 12,500 new doctors since 2018, but does not say how many doctors have retired or left practices in the same period. . It also says that barriers to internationally trained doctors are being removed, but many say they are still underemployed.
Statistics don't lie. They show that at least one in five Canadians do not have access to a primary care physician. After 10,000 group health center patients are deregistered at the end of May, Sault Ste. Marie's number will rise to an estimated 35,000 people without a primary care physician. That means Sioux Regional Hospital is preparing for an increase in emergency department visits and longer wait times. Our walk-in clinic is already at capacity and we cannot do more.
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Sault Ste. Marie has continually called on the state to increase medical school capacity. That includes the College of Physicians of Northern Ontario, where more students pursue primary care practice, remain in the North, and graduate than any other medical school.
Instead, the province chose to establish a new medical school in Vaughan, Ont., increasing taxpayer spending.
The provincial government continues to engage in arbitration with the Ontario Medical Association over issues such as the fees paid to doctors, the burden of cumbersome administrative work required of doctors, and the ban on doctors being allowed in examination rooms.
The shoemaker made the best statement at Monday's city council meeting. “We live in Northern Ontario, where we have serious concerns about reducing the physician shortage, and we're not even part of the equation.”
Health care is repeatedly cited as the biggest issue for Ontarians. If the existing provincial government is not prepared to go further and open up its pockets to ensure that every Ontarian who wants a primary care doctor has one, then it must listen to the needs and wants of Ontarians. It's time for the government to change.
Elaine Della-Mattier is a political reporter for the Sault Star.
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