France Gélinas, Ontario's opposition Health Critic, is not pleased with the idea of having private eye-care clinics stepping up to address the surgery backlog for cataracts resulting from the pandemic.
Gélinas, the NDP MPP for Nickel Belt said in a news release that ophthalmologists and health care leaders across the province are objecting to a Ministry of Health plan that supports for-profit, independent cataract clinics. The program was part of a province wide funding announcement revealed by the province last fall.
The Ministry’s plan was meant to address long wait times for cataract surgery in Ontario, with wait periods made worse by the pandemic. Gélinas said most independent clinics have only one operating room and will have little to no effect on the backlog, especially in Northern Ontario where only one of these clinics exists.
Gélinas expressed her concerns in a letter to the Minister of Health sent on February 2. Part of her concern was a lack of government oversight.
“There are many reports of private clinics charging patients excessive fees for lenses, costly diagnostic tests and ‘cutting edge’ technology," said the letter.
Gélinas' complaint also spoke to a concern voiced by Dr. Sherif El-Defrawy, Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Services at the University of Toronto, who expressed worries about the effect these changes will have on other hospital-based eye care services;
“Moving cataracts surgery to private facilities means that surgeons will no longer need to apply for privileges in hospitals in order to work in operating rooms. Currently, hospitals and non-for-profit out-patient surgery centres require surgeons to respond to eye emergencies in the ER and consultations in the hospital if they want to work in the OR. Opening independent for-profit centres will curtail hospital eye services.”
El-Defrawy, speaking through the Gélinas news release, said the concern is that patients will be paying extra.
“The Ford government’s attempt to lessen our lengthy COVID-19 backlogs by funding for-profit facilities, though perhaps well intended, will result in patients paying more, hospitals left without critical eye care services, and the province’s training programs left teetering on the brink of closure.”
Gélinas said she is awaiting a response to her letter from the Minister of Health.
“I hope that the government will rethink this plan and consider other ways to shorten cataract surgery wait times, such as increasing funding to public hospitals and not-for-profit clinics, without jeopardizing the integrity of our public healthcare system.”
