Ontario's doctors deliver request to fully fund care at pre-budget consultation

TORONTO, Dec. 8, 2016 /CNW/ - Today, Dr. Virginia Walley, President of the Ontario Medical Association, will appear at the Ontario government's pre-budget consultation to urge MPPs to make health care a priority in the 2017 provincial budget.

"Ontario's doctors are calling on the government to properly support Ontario's health-care system by fully funding the increasing demand for medical care, and according to the needs of our growing and aging population," said Dr. Walley. "By all accounts, the government is failing to fund growth –even the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario showed that health-care system demand is projected to rise at 3.6 per cent a year for the next four years; and yet, the government has set funding for physician services at only 1.25 per cent, less than half of that."

That health care be a priority in 2017 is a sentiment Ontario's doctors have shared with all  MPPs. Yesterday, holiday greetings were delivered to Queen's Park on behalf of the more than 29,000 practising doctors in Ontario. All MPPs are receiving a greeting card and a gift box of red tape, which symbolizes the increased bureaucracy the government added to the health-care system this year with Bill 41.

Both the PC and NDP voted against passing Bill 41 and voiced many of the concerns that doctors had around this deeply flawed piece of legislation. Many opposition MPPs are supporting Ontario's doctors and their patients by sharing the hash tag #NoRedTape on social media and tweeting photos of their roll of red tape.

"Our well wishes and seasons greeting are sincere, but Ontario's doctors will continue to make their concerns about patient care loud and clear," said Dr. Walley. "The attempts by provincial government to marginalize the profession and publicly disrespect committed and hardworking physicians must stop; otherwise the government risks destabilizing the health-care system that patients rely on."

SOURCE Ontario Medical Association

Danielle Milley, Senior Advisor Media Relations, Office: 416-599-2580 or 1-800-268-7215 ext. 3008, Mobile: [phone], Email: [email protected]; Nadia Daniell-Colarossi, Manager Media Relations, Office: 416-340-2970 or 1-800-268-7215 ext. 2970, Mobile: [phone], Email: [email protected]