Ontario government looking to add 60K OHIP-funded GI endoscopies at private clinics

Ontario’s health minister says the provincial government is looking to add around 60,000 OHIP-funded gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopies at private community clinics.

A statement issued by the Ford government Monday morning said a new, 10-week call for licence applications has been issued, and approvals should be granted in early 2025.

Billed as an expansion of services and an initiative that will “help improve rapid access to diagnostic care for early disease detection,” Health Minister Sylvia Jones and officials said the aim is to reduce the wait times between the date of the requisition and the date of the procedure.

The move comes after the Ontario government issued a similar call for MRI and CT scans as officials looked to add approximately 100,000 appointments across the province. The statement also noted that 49 new MRI machines have been added at 42 hospitals in Ontario.

Officials said a third round of applications for orthopedic surgeries is expected to be issued in the fall.

There was also a push to cut the wait times in Ontario for cataract and eye surgeries. Officials said four private cataract centres have received funding to conduct approximately 32,000 procedures.

As Ontario’s hospitals continue to deal with a high demand for services, critics have argued that expanding the use of private clinics could lead to longer wait times, as staff are being lured to work outside public institutions.

However, the Ford government said applications need to include a staffing plan “that protect(s) the stability of staffing resources at public hospitals,” provide information on wait times, process regional intakes when available, and explain how the clinics consulted with other parts of the health system.

They also noted a clinic can’t refuse an insured service to a patient who doesn’t want to pay for uninsured upgrades, nor can it accept payment to receive insured services.