Ontario’s Push for Improved Access to Orthopedic Surgeries
Ontario is continuing its efforts to enhance healthcare accessibility by expanding the availability of private clinics offering publicly funded orthopedic surgeries. Health Minister Sylvia Jones recently announced a significant development in this initiative, with plans to invest $125 million over the next two years to facilitate up to 20,000 hip and knee replacements across four specialized centers.
The primary goal of this expansion is to ensure that a higher percentage of patients, aiming for 90%, receive orthopedic procedures within the recommended timeframes, a marked improvement from the current level of 80%. This move follows previous steps taken by Ontario to bolster private-public partnerships in healthcare, with a focus on services like cataract procedures, MRI scans, and CT scans. These efforts have resulted in 40,000 eye surgeries and numerous MRI and CT operating hours in the past year alone.
While this expansion is aimed at improving overall access to healthcare services, critics argue that investing in publicly funded hospitals should take precedence. These facilities have expressed a need for an additional $1 billion in funding to address existing challenges and meet the growing demand for services.
The four clinics selected to offer hip and knee surgeries as part of this expansion include OV Surgical Centre in Toronto, Academic Orthopedic Surgical Associates in Ottawa, Windsor Orthopedic Surgical Centre, and Schroeder Ambulatory Centre in Richmond Hill.