TORONTO – Reduce patient waiting times, expand mental health, addiction and home care services, and prepare for the next pandemic. These are some of the priorities to be addressed in the Ontario health system contained in a new report by the Ontario Medical Association (OMA). The study also highlighted the need to strengthen public health units in light of the important role played during the pandemic and to assign each patient a team of connected health workers. 

Dr. Adam Kassam, president of the group representing doctors in the province, said the pandemic has highlighted long-standing gaps in health care and changed the way it is viewed by the general public. “I think that all those in society who have been affected by the pandemic understand the value and importance of a solid health system – he said today during a virtual press conference – facing the problems, will be for the province, the key to getting out of the pandemic. We cannot have an economic recovery without a healthcare recovery.”

Starting to prepare for the next pandemic by making a provincial plan to deal with it mandatory by law, a plan that must be updated and reviewed every five years is – after the experience we are living with Covid-19 – more than a priority according to the OMA.

The Ontario Medical Association is calling on political parties to include its recommendations in their platforms ahead of June’s provincial elections.

The backlog of visits, examinations, therapies and treatments caused by the pandemic must be addressed and disposed of at the time when the energies are turned to solving the long-standing problem of patient waiting times.

The report highlights the need for adequate funding to address the backlog, ensure that services are sufficiently staffed, that people are informed about healthy lifestyles, offering more services outside hospitals and improving data collection.

The Ontario doctors’ office also pays particular attention tothe network ofmental health services. To respond to the “tsunami of new patients” seeking mental health care, the report says more accessible and publicly funded services must be available in various communities. And not only that: it is urgent to establish standards at the provincial level for mental health and addiction services, allocate more funding for such services, provide mental health support to health workers and increase the number of controlled drug use sites.

Investing more funds in recruiting and maintaining home care is recommended as a priority that, according to the report, will save hospital beds and reduce waiting times for other patients.

Ensuring that people without family doctors can access home care by reducing bureaucratic documentation requirements and providing tax relief for families employing full-time caregivers is another recommendation for improving the care system in Ontario.

Regarding long-term care, the report recommends strengthening the role of home physicians, appointing medical directors specifically to oversee this area, recruiting staff, and improving communication between hospitals and nursing homes.