It is impossible to ignore the headlines on the state of Ontario’s healthcare system.
In Doug Ford’s second term as Premier, despite a promise not to privatize the system, it seems that is exactly what is happening in Ontario. For private clinics are now part in parcel for healthcare in this province. Brought in under the pretence that it would help to alleviate the overburdened and crumbling system. Or at least thats how it’s being sold to us by the government.
A critic of that framing is the Ontario Health Coalition. A group of medical professionals and grassroots Ontarians who are committed to ensuring that the health care system remains a predominantly publicly funded one. Where Ontarians of all walks of life have equitable and efficient access to care, and are not forced to pay out of pocket for services that are normally covered by OHIP.
To get a better sense of the status of Ontario’s healthcare system, how it go to be this way, as well as what would be required going forward to improve the quality of care, we asked their executive director to join us. Natalie Mehra has headed up the Ontario Health Coalition for over 22 years. In that time the Health Coalition has grown into the largest and broadest public interest group on health care in the province, representing more than 750,000 Ontarians in its network of more than 400 member organizations and more than 50 local chapters.
Natalie Mehra joins us today.
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Nicholas Paul: sound editing.
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