Ontario falling farther behind on surgery backlog due to Ford driving away workers

QUEEN'S PARK — Ontario NDP Health critic France Gélinas responded to reports of over 100,000 Ontarians waiting longer than recommended wait times for surgery:

"People across Ontario are waiting in pain and distress for surgeries far longer than experts say they should be, and this government knows it.

Reports by Global News are the latest evidence of the Ford government's devastating impact on our health care system and staffing crisis—we're falling farther behind on addressing the growing surgical backlog because Bill 124 has forced thousands of health care professionals out of the system.

Private, for-profit health care will only make things worse. It will further drive away health care workers. It will mean the wealthiest Ontarians can pay for faster care, while everyone else is left waiting.

Investment in public health care, and respecting our health care workers, are the only ways to solve our health care staffing crisis and address the backlog of surgeries."