Health care flash point during legislature’s first week back

The first week back in the legislature was dominated by questions on the Local Health Integration Networks and hospital cuts.

These included:

• Why the LHINs were not included in new rules prohibiting sole-source contracting. Tory Leader Tim Hudak raised a sole-sourced $80,000 contract between the Toronto Central LHIN and the Courtyard Group, a Liberal-friendly consulting firm. The contract was to help implement a diabetes strategy. Hudak linked a number of those in the contract with the e-health scandal. Hudak said that after e-health, the same consultants were coming back for “second helpings” from the LHINs.
• PC health critic Christine Elliott raised questions about  the qualifications of LHIN board members who happened to also be significant financial contributors to the McGuinty Liberals. That list included Juanita Gledhill, Chair of the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant LHIN, the same LHIN that approved closure of the ERs at Port Colborne and Fort Erie.
• With the LHINs under financial scrutiny, the Premier stated that the Minister of Health brought in tough new rules to increase accountability and transparency at the LHINs.
• NDP Leader Andrea Horwath asked how the McGuinty government could pass on $4.5 billion in corporate tax cuts while cutting services, including the Toronto St. Joseph’s pain clinic, one of several services recently scheduled for closure by the cash-strapped hospital. “They’ve left hospitals and clinics across the province making random cuts to front-line services while money we cannot spare is being given away to corporate tax cuts.”
• Both parties contrasted the $15 million bailout of the Toronto Grace Hospital during a by-election with cuts to hospitals in other communities. PC Health Critic Christine Elliott quoted the vice-chair of the Grace Hospital as saying “thank god for by-elections.”
• PC MPP Norm Miller said the Minister of Health refused to meet with him and Muskoka councillor Fran Coleman because it was “inappropriate for the minister to discuss budget issues,” yet felt no qualms about intervening in the case of the Toronto hospital. Miller also presented a petition calling for an additional 5 per cent in operating funding for Muskoka Algonquin to preserve rehab services under threat. The two were eventually granted the meeting with the Health Minister.
• NDP MPP Paul Miller raised layoffs at St. Joseph’s Healthcare in Hamilton and at Hamilton Health Sciences, suggesting even more cuts were around the corner.
• PC MPP Ted Arnott raised the issue of slow ambulance response time in Erin (see story on the BLOG)
• PC Leader Tim Hudak noted that the number of LHIN positions on the sunshine list (those earning more than $100k per year) had grown by 150 per cent, from 40 to 95 in three years. Executive salaries at the LHIN were also up by 213 per cent. Hudak contrasted the salaries with cuts to front line services, including closure of the Port Colborne and Fort Erie ERs. Hudak also raised the salary of Barry Monaghan, who collected $351,000 in salary from the Toronto Central LHIN while also receiving $104,000 in an untendered consulting contract from the Mississauga Halton LHIN.
• Premier McGuinty and Health Minister Deb Matthews defended their record, often repeating they increased health funding by 42 per cent since coming to power. They didn’t acknowledge that much of this additional spending came from increased transfers from the Federal government. Matthews described the attack on Barry Monaghan as a “drive-by smear.”
• NDP Leader Andrea Horwath quoted a release from Hamilton Health Sciences: “Even though we’re recognized as one of the most efficient hospitals in the province, we have been forced to make some changes that will impact patient care… In 2010/11 we will do 1,200 fewer surgical procedures.”
• Premier Dalton McGuinty on reducing wait times: “angiographies down by 63 per cent, that’s 35 days; angioplasties down by 14 days; cataract surgery wait times reduced by 208 days; hip replacements in Ontario down by 195 days; knee replacements down by 263 days; CT scans down by 39 days; cancer surgery is down by 23 days; MRI scans down by 13 days; general surgeries down by 21 days; MRI scans down by 13 days; general surgeries down by 21 days; pediatric surgery is down by 21 days.”
• Weird quote of the week: “She (NDP Leader Andrea Horwath) continues to maintain that we have made cuts to our health care system and to hospitals in particular. That is absolutely wrong. It is without foundation in fact.” – Premier Dalton McGuinty in the face of hundreds of layoffs and cuts in hospitals across Ontario. McGuinty went on to reiterate his investments in health care over the last six years.
• Funny but sad quote of day: “Recent media reports quote members of the Liberal caucus saying that morale over there is lower than a garter snake in a puddle on a backcountry road.” – PC MPP Gerry Martiniuk.