The Ford Conservatives’ latest restructuring plan will see increased chaos and confusion that will reduce the quality of care in this province, and ultimately punish municipal governments who are already struggling to provide quality health services in their regions, says Fred Hahn, President of CUPE Ontario.
While the long-term health plan presented to Ontarians in the 2019 provincial budget lacked specific details on how restructuring would unfold over the next few years, details are starting to emerge. After amalgamating Local Health Integration Networks into 10 mega-health units and cutting the budget by $10 million by 2020, the Ford Conservatives have blind-sided paramedics, public health workers, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, the Association of Paramedic Chiefs, and Ontario’s Medical Officers of Health by proposing another detail-free restructuring plan.