While many healthcare groups have expressed grave concern over the Ford government’s plan to utilize private, for-profit clinics to ease surgical backlogs in the province, officials at Chatham-Kent’s hospital are taking a wait-and-see approach before passing judgment.
Last month, Premier Doug Ford and Health Minister Sylvia Jones announced a plan that will allow public health services such as surgeries and MRI and CT scans to be conducted at for-profit facilities. According to the province, the three-step plan would help alleviate the surgical backlog in Ontario that was worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Ford government has maintained that the plan would be covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) and Ontarians would not have to pay for surgical procedures out of pocket.
However, five major Ontario healthcare unions, among other groups, have objected to the plan, saying it will risk lives and significantly worsen staffing shortages.
As of December 31, 2022, the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) reported that the average staff vacancy rate for its 154 public hospitals was 10.74 per cent.
While the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance’s overall vacancy rate is lower than the OHA average at 7.4 per cent, officials said the hospital is still experiencing the same pressures as the rest of the province.
CKHA President and CEO Lori Marshall said they are still waiting for more information about how the use of private surgical clinics will impact hospitals.
“We look forward to better understanding how it is that we can maintain and grow our nursing resources at CKHA while potentially understanding how it is that we can work within this newly recommended policy,” she said. “We understand that there is no intent to worsen the health/emerg issues that are in hospitals.”
According to CKHA, the most immediate concern for hospitals in Ontario is the vacancy rate for registered nurses (RN) and registered practical nurses (RPN).
There is currently a 12.39 per cent vacancy rate for RNs at CKHA and a 7.44 per cent vacancy rate for RPNs.