95% of Ontarians Want More Information on Alternative Health Care Delivery Models
President of the OMA embarks on a province-wide tour to tackle the issue.
Canada NewsWire
TORONTO, Sept. 15 /CNW/ - A staggering 95 per cent of Ontarians want more information on what alternatives exist to improve the quality and timeliness of care, according to a poll conducted by the Ontario Medical Association (OMA). To answer this call the President of the OMA, Dr. Greg Flynn, began a province-wide tour today visiting communities across Ontario to stimulate a public discussion.
"Patients are clearly hungry for a dialogue and eager to see more done to improve access and quality of care," said Dr. Greg Flynn, President of the OMA. "The Supreme Court of Canada found that patients across Canada are dying because waiting lists are too long - we can't afford to watch patients suffer any longer."
The telephone poll included 600 Ontarians and the margin of error is +/- 4%, 19 times out of 20. Highlights from the results include:
- 95% feel the public should receive more information on health care.
- 81% want a dialogue on the future of health care in Canada.
- 8 out of 10 want a strategy in place to reduce wait times.
- 58% want the government to look at health care delivery models that
exist in European countries.
- 1 in 5 identify wait times as the issue that most concerns them.
"Ontario struggles to provide the most up-to-date and innovative care," said Flynn. "Physicians will continue their work to provide the best care possible, but they are frustrated and tired of watching patients suffer because of a system that doesn't always provide timely, quality care."
During the tour Dr. Flynn will be meeting with physicians, key health care stakeholders, business leaders and local politicians at every level. Dr. Flynn will be making stops in several communities across the province including: Thunder Bay, Windsor, Kingston, Sault Ste. Marie, Cornwall, Hamilton, Belleville, Sarnia, London, Peterborough, Kitchener, North Bay, Niagara Region, Sudbury and Barrie.
"Some continue to defend the status quo when they should be listening to patients' concerns and doing whatever it takes to repair the damage to our health-care system," said Flynn. "Governments at every level need to act immediately and answer the public's call for better care before the courts step in and do it for them."
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