Plan released to help combat hallway medicine in Brampton

Ontario Liberal Leadership Candidate, Steven Del Duca, recently released a plan to combat hallway medicine.

Ontario Liberal Leadership Candidate, Steven Del Duca, recently released a plan to combat hallway medicine.

On January 28, 2020, Del Duca and Dr. Bob Bell met with Mayor Patrick Brown at City Hall to discuss the healthcare crisis.

“There are steps the government can take today that will have an immediate impact,” said Del Duca. “And there is additional action that can be taken today to improve hospital care in the short to medium term.”

“Doug Ford promised to fix hallway medicine within a year – he hasn’t. Not only that, he’s been taking Ontario in the wrong direction by defunding homecare and other programs that would relieve stress on our hospitals.”

Del Duca is calling on the government to immediately provide funding for surge beds, pointing out that 40 beds could be opened between Brampton Civic and Etobicoke to deal with this crisis.

He is also calling on the government to immediately move forward with phase two planning approval for Peel Memorial, as well as get shovels in the ground for new beds; that would create approximately 257 beds in total.

In addition, he is calling on them to Begin Building Long Term Care, pointing out that the government hasn’t moved forward with new bed construction despite multiple announcements.

According to Del Duca, the Liberal government prior to the last election allocated over 5,000 beds, including in Brampton, but is now questioning where they are.

These calls to action also include providing adequate funding for hospitals in communities like Brampton to open every bed possible, finding spaces for transitional beds and work with retirement homes to get people out of hospital, significantly invest in primary care, home and community care to keep people out of hospital and to begin planning for increased hospital capacity in the long term, which includes planning for a new hospital in northwest Brampton.

“This is a well thought out plan that would have a real impact on patients,” said Dr. Bob Bell, former Deputy Minister of Health for Ontario.

“I am genuinely perplexed why the Ford administration has not undertaken at least some of the initiatives Steven is proposing today since they campaigned on ending hallway medicine.”

“Brampton’s healthcare professionals are working hard to treat as many patients as possible. Care in Brampton’s hospitals is at the highest provincial level and patients are safe because of the excellent health professionals. However, resources need to be expanded. There is no doubt they are doing the best they can with the resources they’ve been given – the problem is the province’s underfunding” concluded Bell.

Del Duca proceeded to state that Bramptonians deserve great healthcare as well as deserve “a provincial government that cares about them.”

“Instead, what they have seen over the past two years is a government that has ignored them, deprived them of funding, and turned their back on them – all because of petty political grudges,” he said.

“I hope the provincial government will implement my suggestions immediately. If they don’t, I am prepared to form a government in 2022 that will. Doug Ford needs to do better for Brampton – and he needs to do better right now,” concluded Del Duca.

Photo courtesy of Steven Del Duca