New report shows increase in wait times for North East LHIN area

Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak
News Release

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A new report from the Ontario Health Quality Council (OHQC) confirms that despite collecting billions in so-called 'health taxes' since 2004, Dalton McGuinty and his unelected, unaccountable and anonymous LHIN bureaucracies, have failed to improve Long-Term Care (LTC) and ER wait times in Ontario.

The report confirms that LTC wait times have tripled since 2005, while ER wait times have stagnated. These dire results come despite the LHINs being charged with spending a quarter of a billion health care dollars on an Aging at Home Strategy that was supposed to reduce these wait times.

In addition, the OHQC's review has reached a stunning conclusion that 13 of 14 Ontario LHINs failed to demonstrate any "superior" results in delivering local health care services.

QUOTES:

"Despite imposing a massive new health tax that is costing Ontario families billions, Dalton McGuinty and his LHIN appointees have failed to improve health care services for Ontario seniors and families. This is the clearest sign yet that the LHIN model is broken and has to go."

-- Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak

"Dalton McGuinty has already spent $176 million health care dollars on his unelected and unaccountable LHIN appointees. While McGuinty LHIN executives are cashing in on our health care dollars, wait times for seniors and families grow longer than ever. Unlike the Liberals, a PC government will invest in frontline health care first."

-- Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak

QUICK FACTS:

The Quality Council's report states that the North East LHIN was "worse than average" for:

* Highest percentage of ALC beds in the province;

* Highest wait times for LTC placement for hospital patients in
the province;

* Highest proportion of patients admitted to LTC who may not need
to be there;

* Longer wait times for hip and knee replacements;

* Higher rate of heart attacks.

In 2006 only three employees at the North East LHIN made six figure salaries and their total compensation totaled $416,000. Today eleven LHIN executives are making $1,527,000.

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