Life Sciences Ontario releases plan for Ontario to adjust health system to better deal with chronic diseases, starting with diabetes

• Millions of Ontarians live with one or more chronic diseases, but the health system was designed 60 years ago mainly for acute illnesses
• The plan outlines immediate steps to help diabetes care that could then be applied to other chronic diseases, so all are treated more efficiently

TORONTO, March 25, 2025 /CNW/ - Life Sciences Ontario (LSO) today released a vision paper outlining a concrete and viable path for Ontario to allow its health system to better diagnose, treat and improve the lives of the millions of residents who live with one or more chronic diseases.

The paper, titled Going Upstream: Toward an Ontario Chronic Disease Strategy, starting with diabetes, is aimed at addressing a key shortfall of the public health system in Ontario – that it was designed 60 years ago. The public health system was designed to provide care mainly for acute illnesses and hasn't changed significantly to address the fact that a very large proportion of care is now required for long-term chronic diseases. Almost three-quarters (73%) of Canadians aged 65 and older are affected by a chronic disease.¹

The paper was developed by LSO in partnership with Diabetes Canada and Health Charities Coalition of Canada. It provides concrete and feasible proposals for actions to prevent, mitigate and manage chronic diseases in Ontario, starting with care for the 1.7 million Ontarians diagnosed with diabetes in 2024, a number that will rise to 2.3 million by 2034.²

Using learnings from those actions with diabetes, improvements could then be made to help those with other chronic diseases, including arthritis, cancer, kidney disease, auto-immune disorders, digestive system diseases, lung and heart diseases, osteoporosis, dementia and others.

The paper builds on the fact that in April 2023 the Government of Ontario agreed to Motion 45 in the Ontario Legislature, which was passed unanimously. It called on the Minister of Health to "develop a provincial framework that ensures that every Ontarian has access to quality care for chronic diseases and that is designed to improve chronic disease care, addressing prevention, management and treatment with an initial focus on diabetes."³ However, since then no government actions, or the annual reports about progress called for in the motion, have been forthcoming.

The paper is being released as the Doug Ford Progressive Conservative government begins its new term following the February 27 election to help ensure this important commitment is not further delayed and that the need to ensure better and more efficient health care for Ontarians with chronic illnesses is not lost in the current economic uncertainty.

The paper takes its title, "Going Upstream," from the premise that real improvements in the health system and care for Ontarians requires a change in focus. Instead of focusing on treating acute problems alone, the system should be better equipped to "go upstream" by recognizing where many of these issues arise. For instance, many people living with one or more chronic diseases that need better means to be prevented and managed and to have a health system set up to mitigate their impact.

QUOTES:

"The vision outlined in this paper is not just about providing more money to help fight chronic diseases. It is about thinking and doing things differently, starting with some immediate actions related to Ontarians with diabetes and then, for the longer-term, focusing on three key pillars of the chronic disease landscape: prevent, mitigate and manage."
                                                                                                                     – Dr. Jason Field, President and CEO, Life Sciences Ontario

"More than one in every seven Ontarians has been diagnosed with diabetes, which has huge ramifications for our health system. This paper shows the types of actions that can and must be taken to do things better and improve the health and well-being of Ontarians with diabetes and ultimately those with other chronic diseases."
                                                                                               – Glenn Thibeault, Executive Director, Government Affairs & Policy, Diabetes Canada

"Now more than ever patients living with chronic disease need solutions that will meet their immediate and long-term concerns. This vision paper provides recommendations for moving forward with an Ontario chronic disease strategy that focuses on preventing, mitigating and managing chronic diseases"
                                                                                               – Connie Côté, Chief Executive Officer, Health Charities Coalition of Canada

The complete vision paper, Going Upstream: Toward an Ontario Chronic Disease Strategy, starting with diabetes, is available here.

About Life Sciences Ontario

Life Sciences Ontario (LSO) is a not-for-profit organization that represents and promotes Ontario's vibrant and diverse life sciences sector. Members of LSO include life sciences companies, entrepreneurs, members of academia, and service providers from many different areas of the life sciences ecosystem, including biopharmaceuticals, agriculture, agri-food, the bioeconomy, medical devices, animal health, environmental technologies, and more. Ultimately, our mission is to encourage commercial success throughout this diverse sector by collaborating with governments, academia, industry and other life sciences organizations in Ontario and across Canada. lifesciencesontario.ca

REFERENCES

	^1. Health Canada, Aging and chronic diseases: A profile of Canadian seniors, 2020, https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/diseases-conditions/aging-chronic-diseases-profile-canadian-seniors-report.html
	^2. Diabetes Canada, Diabetes in Ontario, Estimated Prevalence and Cost of Diabetes, https://www.diabetes.ca/research-(1)/advocacy-reports/national-and-provincial-backgrounders/diabetes-in-ontario
	^3. Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Private members' motions, https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/status-business/private-members-motions

SOURCE Life Sciences Ontario

MEDIA CONTACT: Sharanya Rajesh, Marketing & Communications Manager, Life Sciences Ontario, 162 Cumberland Street, Suite 310, Toronto, ON M5R 1A8, [email protected]