Samantha Sanchez – King-Vaughan – NDP

  1. We are appalled by poor performance of our healthcare system that has been
    neglected by consecutive Liberal and Conservative governments. People of
    Ontario should not suffer from pain and long queues for life-saving surgeries.
    An ONDP government will invest in our healthcare to make sure that people
    who require a surgery will get it on time. Ontario needs more doctors and
    nurses to tackle the unprecedented waiting times for surgeries and the ONDP
    will do just that. The Ontario New Democrat government will rebuild Ontario
    cancer care for the better. We’ll tackle the backlog head-on, improve care in
    and out of hospital, improve screening with a special focus on hard-to-reach
    communities, and deliver care closer to home. We will expand operating
    room hours over the evenings and weekends to increase hospital capacity,
    engage in a health care worker hiring blitz, and create a centralized surgical
    referral system. We’ll make sure this gets done without privatizing our
    healthcare system.
    2. We commit to provide cancer treatment closer to home. We’ll ensure
    communities have access to comprehensive cancer treatment near where
    they live, so no one has to travel a long way to get essential care such as
    radiation treatment. Our plan to improve cancer care includes a new Cancer
    Centre in Brampton and improved capacity for diagnostic imaging across the
    province. ONDP will make take-home cancer drugs free regardless of your
    insurance and where you receive care. Our pharmacare plan will cover the
    full cost of take-home cancer drugs, ensuring no one pays out of pocket for
    this critical medication. We will properly fund public health education and
    prevention programs including screenings and tests to increase our resilience
    against cancer. We will ensure that future pandemic planning incorporates a
    plan to sustain cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment through any public
    health emergency.
    3. It is vital for Ontario to have a healthcare system that focuses of preventing
    severe illnesses. ONDP government will support self-referral of women over
    40 for mammograms. This will not only make cancer care more equitable but
    also make resources of our public healthcare network better utilized by
    reducing the number of severe breast cancer cases.