Ontario’s Universal Health System has many leaks to plug; the Health perils in Northern Ontario

BY STEVEN KASZAB

Do you live in an urban area located in Southern Ontario? Finding it difficult to: acquire medical assistance, ambulance service, or visits from the EMS? Well, consider yourself lucky. If you live in Northern Ontario you know about these difficulties and more, much more.

Paramedics in Kenora district have taken to social media sounding the alarm over many issues, particularly the staffing crisis. Talk about challenges. The district covers 400,000 square kilometres with only ten ambulance bases to cover the region.

“Sioux Lockout has the greatest staffing crisis in the region,” said Derek Hamilton of CUPE Local 5911. 911 calls have increased 54% in Ignace (Ontario) between 2018 and 2021, and these areas often are stuck with one ambulance to provide service. A lot of people quit, often due to stress or injuries. Ambulances often go between one hospital to the other trying to find a medical facility able to accept patients. Waiting for an ambulance has become much like a visit to the Emergency Room of a hospital, holding your breath for hours.

Patients with time sensitive emergencies, such as strokes, could be left with permanent damage that might have been avoidable. The sooner you get to a treatment centre the better the outcome.

The staffing crisis also means paramedics are regularly working unsustainable 16-hour shifts. Fatigued staff means there is a greater chance something avoidable could happen. Furthermore, sick staffers are often called in to work, while ill.

The Confederation College decided last year to close their paramedic program in three northern communities surrounding Kenora. 12-20 recruits were hired on an annual basis from these programs, most staying within the northern communities. Closing of the program shortened the system’s source of: recruitment’s, future EMS, paramedics and hospital staffers.

Imagine what would happen if there were a mine collapse, or mass injury event in this region. How will the medical, ambulance and EMS respond? Northern Ontario has many expanding and emerging industries employing thousands. What if folks? What if?

The Ontario Government pledged 1 million dollars in land-ambulance funding for the Kenora area. Will it arrive in time and is it enough?

Perhaps the authorities within Northern Ontario need to design a region-specific program just for their region attracting staff from across Canada and the USA.

Ontario’s Universal Health System has many leaks to plug, and while we wait for this to happen many Northerners and Aboriginal people are dying needlessly.