OMA congratulates Progressive Conservatives on election win

TORONTO, June 3, 2022 /CNW/ - The Ontario Medical Association congratulates Doug Ford and his Progressive Conservative Party for their election victory and invites the premier and his new health minister to a meeting as soon as possible.

"We need to work together to clear the pandemic backlog and tackle issues such as wait times to improve patient care for everyone in the long term," said OMA CEO Allan O'Dette. "Our health-care system and our economy depend on getting this right. Let's get started now. The problems are urgent and doctors have solutions."

The OMA has a plan to address the gaps in the health-care system exposed by the pandemic and to improve access, equity, efficiency and integration. Prescription for Ontario: Doctors' 5-Point Plan for Better Health Care is a detailed plan for action in five key areas, plus recommendations for the unique needs in northern Ontario.

• Reducing wait times and the backlog of services, including dealing with the doctor shortage and physician burnout
• Expanding mental health and addiction services in the community
• Improving and expanding home care and other community care
• Strengthening public health and pandemic preparedness
• Giving every patient a team of health-care providers and linking them digitally

The OMA also has a solution to improving wait times, some of which were longer than recommended even before the pandemic. The OMA is proposing the creation of Integrated Ambulatory Centres, a new model of care that would shift many non-emergency, less complex surgeries to outpatient centres. IACs would free up hospital beds and operating rooms, allowing them to focus on more complex, acute and emergency patients and procedures, and reduce wait times.

The OMA encourages the new government to implement the Prescription in its entirety during its four-year mandate. The OMA analyzed the Progressive Conservative election platform to see how it aligned with the Prescription and awarded it 10 out of a possible 18 stethoscopes.

About the OMA

The Ontario Medical Association represents Ontario's 43,000-plus physicians, medical students and retired physicians, advocating for and supporting doctors while strengthening the leadership role of doctors in caring for patients. Our vision is to be the trusted voice in transforming Ontario's health-care system.

SOURCE Ontario Medical Association

Leslie Shepherd, Director, Earned and social media, Ontario Medical Association,[email protected]