Statement from Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath on the Patient Ombudsman’s report

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath issued the following statement regarding the Patient Ombudsman’s report, released today:

“Ontario’s first Patient Ombudsman report gives us a hint about the systemic issues that are plaguing health care in Ontario and impacting patients.

During their 14 years in power, the Liberals have amassed a wait list for seniors care that’s more than 32,000-people long. We have sick people in this province being treated in hospital hallways, shower rooms and lounges. The gridlock in our hospitals is causing long waits and confusion over discharges – and that’s evident in the Ombudsman’s report, which reported discharges, alternate level of care and homecare services concerns more than any others.

The last Conservative government cut 6,000 nurses, closed 28 hospitals and slashed 7,000 hospital beds. The Wynne Liberals let us down with further cuts and years of budget freezes – including short-changing hospitals by $300 million in this year’s budget alone.

Most Ontarians don’t know yet about the new Patient Ombudsman Office – yet the Ombudsman heard from more than 2,000 families who had serious concerns with Ontario’s health care system. Ontario has some of the best health care professionals in the world, and they’re caring people doing the best they can with the resources they have. But the cuts have been so deep that the government is now scrambling to put a bandage on the crisis they created.

It does not have to be this way. Ontario families need to be able to count on our health care system.

That’s why I am committed to stable hospital funding that, at a minimum, matches the rate of inflation plus population growth, and that meets the unique needs of each community. An NDP government will implement a moratorium on the firing of any more frontline health care workers, and will launch a broad inquiry into the state of our long-term care system to find and fix the issues we know are affecting the health, dignity and even the safety of our parents and grandparents.”