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LETTER: Province's health-care reforms will fail without funding

'Hallway medicine will not be eliminated without an influx of new money,' says letter writer
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Premier Doug Ford with Newmarket MPP Christine Elliott. Greg King for NewmarketToday

OrilliaMatters received the following letter to the editor from Konrad Brenner in response to sweeping changes the provincial government is making to Ontario's health-care system.
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Christine Elliott, Minister of Health and Long Term Care, recently participated in two interviews, one TVO and one CBC, which dealt with Ontario Health, the new body to oversee the provision of health services in Ontario.

Ontario Health is to be structured on the typical corporate structure: a Board for policy, a chief administrative officer and then departments below that person (in this setup called “Teams” based on geographic areas).

The Minister took the position that the efficiencies which will be achieved by this new structure will solve the present delays experienced in the system. The proposed structure is largely based on the feedback and input she received as the health critic while in opposition.

The new system may save some money, however, it is this writer's opinion that “hallway” medicine will not be eliminated without an influx of new money, which the province is not planning to do at this time.

The creation of this new structure reminds the writer of the Roman army’s practice of reorganizing in order to maintain a front of forward motion on its western front.

Konrad Brenner
Ramara Township

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