Dalton McGuinty has got it all wrong with health care. He has let down Ontario families on every major health care issue from wait times and hiring new nurses and doctors to the fiasco in home care and his expensive and wasteful privatization policies.
While McGuinty could find the money for expensive privatization experiments and a $40,000 salary increase for himself, he de-listed important services such as chiropractic care physiotherapy, and eye care including eye exams. These are preventive services that save the health system large sums of money because illnesses are detected early. Untreated low back pain, for example, is one of the top ten reasons Ontarians visit emergency rooms.
And those Ontarians who suffer back and other pain would dispute the idea that chiropractic and physiotherapy services are optional. These people are forced to spend large sums of money to keep going, or suffer because they can’t afford to pay for these services.
The NDP will ensure full access to needed health services by:
- Restoring coverage that the McGuinty Liberals unfairly removed for eye exams and eye care, chiropractic care and physiotherapy.
- Encouraging preventative care with more nurses and other health care professionals.
- Guaranteeing a daily minimum of 3.5 hours of personal care in long-term care homes.
- Investing in home care and front-line health professionals – in the public system.
On October 10, you can count on the NDP to restore health care services.McGuinty got it wrong. New Democrats will make it right.