The Waterloo Region Health Coalition (WRHC) is organizing a rally this Saturday afternoon to protest what they describe as a “deadly attack” on the public healthcare system.
Jim Stewart, chair of the WRHC, mentioned that there are increasing worries about the Ford government’s attempts to privatize healthcare throughout Ontario.
“I’m sure people have been listening to the ideas and the comments from the far right,” he told 570 News Radio. “But now we’re seeing this unprecedented and quite frankly, deadly, potentially lethal attack on our universal public healthcare system.”
Ontario has been working on setting up private clinics for several years, claiming it will help shorten wait times for some procedures.
However, many healthcare advocates are concerned that this is a move towards a more American-style private healthcare system.
“We’ve seen the advent of private clinics that are now extra charging people to the tune for cataract surgery of around $4,000 per eye if you get it done in a private clinic,” Stewart said. “And at the same time, the Ford government is deliberately underfunding our public hospitals so that there’s cuts to staff and services or hollowing out our public hospitals that we all cherish.”
“It’s really all about creating a brand new marketplace, a private marketplace in healthcare so that private for-profit companies can expand into it and then leap and get the billions of dollars in profits.”
Stewart pointed out that it can be confusing for people when the government keeps announcing investments in healthcare; however, these investments mostly go towards private services. He noted over $327 million has been redirected away from public hospitals into for-profit clinics. Ontario plans to launch 61 for-profit clinics by the end of 2026.
The speed of funding going into public healthcare isn’t matching population growth and inflation rates, Stewart added.
“We’re talking about radical privatization. And what we hear from the right is that it’s a hybrid model, or it’s a model of public and private, that it’s some sort of compromise or reform to our public healthcare system. but it really isn’t,” he said. “It’s the actual destruction of our single tier universal health care model that we are very proud of. It’s part of who we are as Canadians.”
Stewart mentioned those who want to help can e-mail or write their local MPP, distribute leaflets to spread awareness, or join a local healthcare coalition.
People in Waterloo Region can participate in the rally Saturday at noon at Waterloo Public Square.
Photo by Luke Schulz/570 News Radio
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