Ontario has launched a new health care plan that officials say aims to shorten wait times and localize access to care across the province.
Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones announced details about the plan, "Your Health: a Blueprint for Connected and Convenient Care," during a press conference Thursday morning in Toronto.
The government also released a 50-page report, which outlines three broad pillars as a framework for advancing the province's health care plan: the right care in the right place, faster access to care, and hiring more health care workers.
Today, from government, we are pleased to introduce "Your Health", a plan to connect health care in a timely manner, our goal is to make health care more convenient for the people of Ontario by connecting them to services closer to home. This plan lays out a series of initiatives grouped under 3 pillars, which were designed to work together for people. The right care in the right place, faster access to care, and hiring more health care workers. We are building on the progress we have already made. This plan will strengthen all aspects of health care in our own communities, in emergency rooms, in community centers such as pharmacies and doctors' offices, in long-term care homes and through direct-to-home care.
According to the minister, some of these changes will start immediately, to relieve pressure on the health care system, while others will take longer.
The minister promised that with this new plan, Ontario residents will have to wait less time for services such as surgeries, emergency care and mental health and addictions support.
Again, the government stated that no one will have to pay for these services, and that everything will be covered by the OHIP card.