Your questions are very important and I am running in this election to be a voice to not just protect, but to continue to build and support our public health care system. I am deeply, deeply concerned it is being sold off for profit and as a result, many will suffer.
Question 1: Recovery from COVID-19 disruption of cancer care in Ontario
If elected:
- a) Will your government increase cancer screening and treatment capacity by a minimum of 10 per cent over pre-pandemic levels starting in 2022 and continue for a period of three years?
- b) Will your government prioritize cancer surgeries to end the surgery backlog in 2022?
- c) Recognizing that the postponement of cancer services causes a healthcare crisis, how will your government ensure the continuation of cancer screening, surgeries, and treatment?
According to the latest data, 2022 will be the worst year for cancer deaths in Ontario due to widespread disruptions of cancer screening resulting in delayed diagnoses, postponed testing, surgeries, and treatment. This will result in an estimated minimum of 8,700 excess cancer deaths between 2020 to 2030, although this number will undoubtedly be much higher since continuing delays will increase the mortality by between six to eight per cent.
The Ontario government must prevent this from happening! Clearly, Cancer Can’t Wait!
The Green Party of Ontario (GPO) is dedicated to ensuring our public health care is fully supported and stays securely in the hands of the public.
From the GPO Platform:
“As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. While other parties wait for every crisis to reach a boiling point, our vision is to try to solve problems at their source.
When it comes to healthcare, this means helping people to access healthy food and a place to call home. It’s also about early detection and treatment of illnesses in community clinics rather than the hallway of a hospital. Most importantly, it’s a plan to respect nurses, PSWs and other healthcare workers to retain these professionals rather than burning them out.
We are now facing a backlog for care, with thousands of people still waiting for health care, support and services. It’s even more challenging for rural, remote and Northern communities, where there were staffing shortages even before the pandemic.
With surgery backlogs and an understaffed sector, now is the time to expand a publicly funded, publicly delivered healthcare system that is equitable, accessible, and comprehensive – for all Ontarians.”
The GPO will increase year-over-year hospital base operating funding to a minimum of 5%.
- Work with the federal government to provide surge funding to reduce the backlog in surgeries, imaging, and other services.
- Invest in new and expanded hospitals as needed to meet demand in high growth areas.
Question 2: The expansion of lung cancer screening
If elected, will your government:
- a) Improve access to lung cancer screening by adding new sites in Peel, southwestern Ontario, eastern Ontario, and northern Ontario to eliminate barriers to care?
- b) Expand access to lung cancer screening for those who are at risk individuals who do not currently or have never smoked, specifically including those who are determined to have incidental pulmonary nodules?
- c) Create and fund an awareness program that will encourage people to get screened for lung cancer and help reduce the stigma associated with the disease?
Lung cancer has been the leading killer among all cancer types in our country, and for far too long, a diagnosis of lung cancer has been a death sentence. But it doesn’t have to be this way. With new technologies, innovative medicines, and earlier diagnosis, we can significantly improve the likelihood that lung cancer patients can become lung cancer survivors.
Excerpts from our GPO Platform:
Create a robust system of primary care
- Support a publicly funded, publicly delivered healthcare system and oppose further privatisation of care.
- Expand access to family health teams in communities across the province and increase opportunities for physicians to join team-based models of care. Include a diverse array of healthcare providers in the teams to ensure a holistic, connected, comprehensive approach to health.
Build a more equitable healthcare system
- Immediately strike a task force to develop policies and initiatives that address the adverse effects of racism, homophobia, and transphobia on peoples’ mental health and the barriers they face to accessing healthcare.
- Expand the number of and fully fund women’s health clinics and abortion clinics in Ontario.
Question 3:
If elected to government, will your party allow women to self-refer for a mammogram, starting at age 40?
CONTEXT: In Ontario, access to routine breast screening mammography is not offered to women in their 40s. The Canadian breast screening guidelines state that women in this age group should be allowed to decide whether to have a mammogram. Despite this guidance, many women are unable to obtain the necessary referral for this procedure. Only four per cent of Ontario women aged 40-49 have been screened.[ii] It is important to note that 17 per cent of breast cancers[iii] and 27 per cent of years of life lost[iv] occur in women in their 40s. Cancer in this age group is more aggressive, which leads to increased mortality rates. Women in their 40s are not acceptable losses. Many have young children, are caring for aging parents, and are contributing to the economy.
Early detection is critical to avoiding the most aggressive medical care and saving lives. Women in their 40s who get mammograms have a 44 per cent lower mortality rate from breast cancer than those who are not screened.[v] Many other jurisdictions in Canada provide women with the option to self-refer, either at age 40 or after their first mammogram in their 40s.
The GPO Platform states the GPO will create a robust system of primary care
- Support a publicly funded, publicly delivered healthcare system and oppose further privatisation of care.
- Expand access to family health teams in communities across the province and increase opportunities for physicians to join team-based models of care. Include a diverse array of healthcare providers in the teams to ensure a holistic, connected, comprehensive approach to health.
- Increase options for primary care, such as community health centres and nurse-practitioner-led clinics, to ensure access to non-urgent 24/7 care.
- Improve integration and connectivity across healthcare service providers through the use of digital data sharing and patient health coordinators.
- Improve diagnosis and OHIP-covered care for rare diseases, including but not limited to lyme disease, long-COVID, and chronic pain disorders.
- Increase funding for and access to midwives and other community perinatal care services across Ontario.
Carla Johnson (she/her) Candidate, Green Party of Ontario
Cambridge Riding