Taking the pulse on provincial health care

When it comes to health care, one thing I’ve learned from speaking with constituents is that people are not interested in reform strategies, health policy or politics -- they are concerned with reliability and results. Knowing that the health care system is going to work for you, when you need it, is what really matters.

There are questions.

How many Ontarians actually have a family physician? How long do patients have to wait for life saving treatments? Are tax dollars being put to the best use to improve health care? How far do people have to drive to access the health services they need?

Money is key.

A health care system cannot thrive without adequate funding. However, the amount of funding put into health care does not always equal better service or more services. This requires efficient and effective spending. It requires knowing what areas need more funding and how those dollars can best be spent. It is a matter of having forethought, planning for our future and putting to use the resources already available.

Responsible spending requires funding high growth areas as well as underserved rural and northern parts of our province, as well as care for seniors and children alike. This would also include funding for reducing waitlists, modernizing health care facilities, and ensuring every Ontarian has access to a family doctor.

When implemented in 2004, Dalton McGuinty’s Health Tax was touted as bringing in revenue to shorten waitlists, increase the number of doctors and nurses, and expand primary and community-based care. This sounds like a good investment, but Ontarians have yet to see a return on this, the largest tax hike in Ontario’s history. Waitlists are still too long, doctors and nurses are still overworked, and many rural and northern constituents still don’t have access to important services. More money does not always equal more or better results.

Electronic health records are a specific example of where funding can be better directed. In the latter half of the nineties, when I chaired Health Policy provincially, we identified a need for an e-health strategy, to increase efficiency and access to health care, improve the effectiveness of diagnosis and treatment, and decrease medical errors.

In its first report in the spring of 2006, the Ontario Health Quality Council said electronic health records -- linked to an information management system -- were “the single most important step Ontario can take to support continuous quality improvement.” Although there are many e-health pilot projects underway in Ontario, there is still no coherent e-health strategy for Ontario.

A successful Ontario health plan should have a new focus on prevention. This requires an investment in a comprehensive strategy to promote healthy living and disease prevention.

Ontario needs a health care plan that is based on accessibility, responsible spending, dedication to continuous improvement, and respect for both patients and providers. This requires a commitment to universal, publicly funded health care -- with predictable funding that is guaranteed to grow where necessary.

We urgently need smarter investments in training, education, retention and human resources programs to ensure we have the number and quality nurses, doctors and the other health care professionals Ontario requires.

Ontario’s health system needs a plan for the future – one that includes a modern electronic records system, and a comprehensive human resource strategy.