Increase the Northern Health Travel Grant rates to help patients and their families travel to get care
"We will also increase rates for the Northern Health Travel Grant to help ease the cost burden on patients and their families who have to travel to get care." — ontariondp.ca, retrieved 2025-02-20
Create a centralised referral system that covers the entire province and its specialties
"Ontario needs a centralized referral system that covers the entire province and its specialties. From pediatrics to adult care, wait times vary greatly for diagnostic imaging, surgical and specialist access. A centralized referral system would connect patients to care faster. The Ford government promised this in their Your Health plan but have not delivered." — ontariondp.ca, retrieved 2025-02-20
"Act decisively and collaboratively with those on the frontline to bring deaths caused by opioid use down to zero in four years through expanded treatment, recovery and rehabilitation." — Getting the Basics Right: A Plan to Do More For You, retrieved 2025-02-22
Hold landlords liable for drugs produced or trafficked on their property
"Supporting strict and severe mandatory minimum sentences for criminals convicted of drug trafficking, while ensuring landlords are held liable for knowingly hosting illicit drug production and trafficking sites." — ontariopc.ca, retrieved 2025-02-19
Give new powers to police and border agents to confiscate property they determine to be used for producing illicit drugs
"Working with the federal government to enact new authorities for the RCMP, border agents and regional and local law enforcement to identify, detect and confiscate pill presses, precursor chemicals and lab equipment if law enforcement determine that the intent is to produce fentanyl or other illicit drugs." — ontariopc.ca, retrieved 2025-02-19
Increase inspections of point-of-origin containers from China at shipping yards, ports, rail yards, and airports
"Increase inspections of all point-of-origin containers at shipping yards, ports, rail yards and airports from China, the frequent source of fentanyl and other illicit drugs that are plaguing Canadian and American communities." — ontariopc.ca, retrieved 2025-02-19
Restore 24/7 emergency services to Welland Hospital
Return to 90/10 cost sharing with municipalities for ambulance services for the next two years
"We will ensure you can call 911 from everywhere in the North and improve access to emergency medical services. We will return to 90/10 cost sharing with municipalities for ambulance services for two years to get more ambulances and paramedics on the road while maintaining locally focused delivery in partnership with municipal service managers." — On Your Side: The Ontario NDP Plan for the North, retrieved 2025-02-20
Attract, recruit, and retain 3,100 family doctors by 2029
"Give every person in Ontario access to a family doctor by attracting, recruiting, retaining and integrating 3,100 family doctors by 2029." — Getting the Basics Right: A Plan to Do More For You, retrieved 2025-02-22
Double the number of medical school spots and residency positions by creating two new schools and expanding capacity at existing ones
"Create two new medical schools and expand capacity in existing medical schools, doubling the number of medical school spots and residency positions." — Getting the Basics Right: A Plan to Do More For You, retrieved 2025-02-22
Deliver team-based care with evening and weekend appointments, integrated home care for seniors, and mental health services for youth
"Deliver team-based care with evening and weekend appointments, integrated home care for seniors, and accessible mental health services for children, youth and teenagers." — Getting the Basics Right: A Plan to Do More For You, retrieved 2025-02-22
Speed up the integration of internationally-trained doctors over the next four years
"Accelerate the process to integrate at least 1,200 qualified and experienced internationally trained doctors over the next four years through Practice Ready Ontario." — Getting the Basics Right: A Plan to Do More For You, retrieved 2025-02-22
Introduce centralised referral systems with patient portals
Implement interoperable electronic medical records
"Eliminate fax machines, enhance virtual care, introduce centralized referral systems with patient portals and implement interoperable electronic medical records to let doctors and other healthcare professionals focus on patients instead of paperwork." — Getting the Basics Right: A Plan to Do More For You, retrieved 2025-02-22
Provide incentives for doctors to work in rural and northern communities
"Incentivize family doctors to serve in rural and northern communities and mentor the next generation to prevent future shortages." — Getting the Basics Right: A Plan to Do More For You, retrieved 2025-02-22
Bring nurse practitioners into the public system and ban private-pay nurse practitioner clinics
Speed up approval of team-based primary care proposals
"We will accelerate the approval of team-based primary care proposals from Community Health Centres, Nurse Practitioner Led Clinics, and Indigenous Primary Care Organizations that have submitted applications but still await review and funding." — ontariondp.ca, retrieved 2025-02-20
Connect doctors to a support team for administrative work
"We will unlock more time for doctors to spend with patients by cutting the administrative burden and connecting doctors to a support team." — ontariondp.ca, retrieved 2025-02-20
"Patients Ahead of Paperwork: Family doctors are spending up to 20 hours a week, the equivalent of more than two days of full-time work, on the paperwork burden — filling out lengthy forms, writing unnecessary sick notes for employers — time that eats away at the amount of time doctors can spend with patients. Taking paperwork off of doctors’ desks will allow them to see an avg of 20 more patients a day.
• The Ontario Medical Association estimates that 40-50% of their time can be freed up when doctors are connected to team-based care. By reducing the amount of time doctors spend on administrative work, we can unlock thousands of hours for doctors to spend with patients and significantly increase the number of patients that each doctor can roster.
• We will streamline time-consuming administrative tasks and reduce the number of forms that are required to be filled out by a doctor
• We will invest in a surge of additional healthcare staff so that doctors can spend their time being doctors." — ontariondp.ca, retrieved 2025-02-20
Hire 200 family physicians and 150 specialist doctors for Northern Ontario
Add 3,500 doctors to the primary care system over 4 years by increasing residency spots and connecting new grads to interdisciplinary teams
"We will add 3,500 doctors to the primary care system over four years. We will increase residency spots in medical schools and clear barriers for the 13,000 internationally trained and ready-to-practice doctors in Ontario who are ready to enter the healthcare workforce." — ontariondp.ca, retrieved 2025-02-20
"We will pay community health workers fairly to make sure the sector does not fall behind. We will increase residency seats and licensing opportunities for internationally trained doctors and healthcare workers already here in Ontario who are not yet able to practice.
• We will add 3,500 doctors to the primary care system by increasing residency spots in medical schools and incentivizing new graduates to stay in primary care by connecting them to an interdisciplinary team.
• We will clear barriers for the 13,000 internationally trained and ready-to-practice doctors to enter the healthcare workforce." — ontariondp.ca, retrieved 2025-02-20
Create a centralised referral system that covers the entire province and its specialties
"Ontario needs a centralized referral system that covers the entire province and its specialties. From pediatrics to adult care, wait times vary greatly for diagnostic imaging, surgical and specialist access. A centralized referral system would connect patients to care faster. The Ford government promised this in their Your Health plan but have not delivered." — ontariondp.ca, retrieved 2025-02-20
Invest $4.1B over four years to ensure everyone has access to team-based primary care
No longer require family doctors to pay when their patients receive care from a walk-in clinic
"Stop the practice of “negation,” where your family doctor has to pay when you receive care from a walk-in clinic, and patients can face “deregistration” and lose their doctor as a result." — ontariondp.ca, retrieved 2025-02-20
Increase pay in the community health sector by investing in a base budget increase of 5% annually for community health organisations
"Make sure workers in the community health sector are paid fairly. Ontario needs to invest in a base budget increase of 5% or $33.7 million annually for community-governed comprehensive primary health care organizations. Members have only seen a 6% increase over 27 years." — ontariondp.ca, retrieved 2025-02-20
Create culturally appropriate training and long-term and home care for Francophone and First Nations seniors
"We will ensure Francophones and First Nations receive reliable home care and long-term care in their language by creating culturally appropriate training, and care that reflects their language and culture. Seniors deserve personal, familiar care, and we will make that a reality. We will work with University of Sudbury and Nipissing University to support northern students to stay and work in Northern communities." — On Your Side: The Ontario NDP Plan for the North, retrieved 2025-02-20
Return the midwifery programme to Sudbury University
"We will return the midwifery program to Sudbury University to increase access to labour and delivery services while growing our francophone health care workforce." — On Your Side: The Ontario NDP Plan for the North, retrieved 2025-02-20
Investigate and audit the previous government's administration and funding of healthcare
"Investigate Ford’s privatization plans, including a full review of Health Minister Sylvia Jones’ mandate letters and audit how Ontario is using the more than $20 billion in federal health transfers it receives every year." — Getting the Basics Right: A Plan to Do More For You, retrieved 2025-02-22
We don't have any PC policies on Health administration and privatisation.
We don't have any ONDP policies on Health administration and privatisation.
Pay nurses, PSWs, and other supportive healthcare workers a living wage
"Help hospitals hire and retain the staff they need by paying nurses, PSWs and other supportive healthcare workers a living wage and providing them with additional training and professional development opportunities to stay in the public system." — Getting the Basics Right: A Plan to Do More For You, retrieved 2025-02-22
Provide nurses, PSWs, and other supportive healthcare workers with additional training and professional development opportunities
"Help hospitals hire and retain the staff they need by paying nurses, PSWs and other supportive healthcare workers a living wage and providing them with additional training and professional development opportunities to stay in the public system." — Getting the Basics Right: A Plan to Do More For You, retrieved 2025-02-22
Get rid of wage discrepancies between hospitals, in-home care, and long-term care
"Eliminate wage discrepancy across the system, regardless of whether you work for a hospital, in-home care or in long-term care." — Getting the Basics Right: A Plan to Do More For You, retrieved 2025-02-22
Offer a $150,000 bonus to nurses and doctors who return to the province from practising medicine in the States
"Offer a $150,000 bonus to patriotic nurses and doctors who are currently practicing in the U.S. but want to come home and support our publicly-funded healthcare system." — Getting the Basics Right: A Plan to Do More For You, retrieved 2025-02-22
Bring nurse practitioners into the public system and ban private-pay nurse practitioner clinics
"We will bring in safe nurse-patient ratios for better care and end the reliance on for-profit private nursing agencies that are costing hospitals hundreds of millions of dollars." — On Your Side: The Ontario NDP Plan for Southwest Ontario & Niagara, retrieved 2025-02-20
Increase the number of nurses, including hiring at least 15,000 nurses over the next three years
End reliance on private, for-profit nursing agencies
Establish a Northern Command Centre to manage health care worker capacity across the North
"We will establish a Northern Command Centre to support recruitment, gather data on system capacity, and quickly identify emerging workforce issues." — ontariondp.ca, retrieved 2025-02-20
Increase funding to locum programs and opportunities for educational and targeted skills development in Northern Ontario
"We will increase funding to locum programs and opportunities for educational and targeted skills development in northern Ontario, building local knowledge and a skillset suited for the unique challenges of medicine in remote communities." — ontariondp.ca, retrieved 2025-02-20
"We will eliminate parking fees at hospitals for staff, visitors and patients. No one should be worried about paying for parking at a hospital during an affordability crisis, whether you are a patient, a loved one, a front-line worker or a doctor." — On Your Side: The Ontario NDP Plan for Southwest Ontario & Niagara, retrieved 2025-02-20
Expedite the Windsor-Essex Regional Hospital
Build a new hospital for Brandford
Restore service to Fort Erie and Port Colborne Urgent Care
Restore 24/7 emergency services to Welland Hospital
Repeal Bill 7, which charged hospitals if they did not place discharged patients into long-term care homes
"Repeal the coercive Bill 7 and ensure LTCs are held accountable for mismanagement, non-compliance, and neglect of direct care under a four-hour minimum standard per resident, per day." — Getting the Basics Right: A Plan to Do More For You, retrieved 2025-02-22
Set a four-hour-per-day minimum standard of care for long-term care residents
"Repeal the coercive Bill 7 and ensure LTCs are held accountable for mismanagement, non-compliance, and neglect of direct care under a four-hour minimum standard per resident, per day." — Getting the Basics Right: A Plan to Do More For You, retrieved 2025-02-22
Create culturally appropriate training and long-term and home care for Francophone and First Nations seniors
"We will ensure Francophones and First Nations receive reliable home care and long-term care in their language by creating culturally appropriate training, and care that reflects their language and culture. Seniors deserve personal, familiar care, and we will make that a reality. We will work with University of Sudbury and Nipissing University to support northern students to stay and work in Northern communities." — On Your Side: The Ontario NDP Plan for the North, retrieved 2025-02-20
"Introduce universal mental healthcare under OHIP by expanding the Ontario Structured Psychotherapy Program, covering conditions like anxiety, depression, and eating disorders, hiring more social workers, and defining standards and coverage so that all people in Ontario have a basic form of coverage they can count on." — Getting the Basics Right: A Plan to Do More For You, retrieved 2025-02-22
Return the midwifery programme to Sudbury University
"We will return the midwifery program to Sudbury University to increase access to labour and delivery services while growing our francophone health care workforce." — On Your Side: The Ontario NDP Plan for the North, retrieved 2025-02-20
Create a Seniors' Home Care Tax Credit worth up to 25% of up to $10,000 in yearly medical expenses
"Help seniors age at home gracefully by creating a Seniors’ Home Care Tax Credit, saving up to 25% of up to $10,000 in medical expenses a year." — Getting the Basics Right: A Plan to Do More For You, retrieved 2025-02-22
Provide a monthly Caregiver Benefit for those caring for loved ones at home
"We will make it easier for seniors to age at home safely with reliable access to home care and a monthly Caregiver Benefit for those caring for loved ones at home. We will make it more affordable for seniors to make renovations that will help them age at home." — On Your Side: The Ontario NDP Plan for Southwest Ontario & Niagara, retrieved 2025-02-20
Create culturally appropriate training and long-term and home care for Francophone and First Nations seniors
"We will ensure Francophones and First Nations receive reliable home care and long-term care in their language by creating culturally appropriate training, and care that reflects their language and culture. Seniors deserve personal, familiar care, and we will make that a reality. We will work with University of Sudbury and Nipissing University to support northern students to stay and work in Northern communities." — On Your Side: The Ontario NDP Plan for the North, retrieved 2025-02-20