Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones responds to questions during a news conference in Vancouver, on Monday, November 7, 2022. Jones and her ministry are refusing to divulge the amount of money that seven patients in the province have been fined for refusing transfers from a hospital to a long-term care home not of their choosing. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl
Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones and her ministry are declining to disclose the fines imposed on seven patients in the province who refused transfers from hospitals to long-term care (LTC) facilities not of their choosing. A law enacted in 2022, Bill 7, mandates hospitals to levy fines of $400 per day on patients who can be discharged but require long-term care and decline placement in a nursing home chosen for them by a placement coordinator.
Initially, the government claimed to be unaware of any fines being issued. However, a spokesperson for Jones recently revealed that seven individuals have indeed been fined. Despite repeated inquiries by The Canadian Press, the ministry has refrained from disclosing the total fines imposed on these seven patients.
When questioned about the fines, Minister Jones did not provide a response. The opposition parties are advocating for the repeal of the law, or at the very least, transparency regarding its impact on patients and their families. Liberal long-term care critic John Fraser emphasized the need for transparency, an appeal process, and expressed concerns over the perceived abuse of power by the government.
Under the law, nearly 300 patients have been relocated to long-term care facilities not of their preference to alleviate hospital overcrowding. Patients may be placed in nursing homes up to 70 kilometers away (or 150 kilometers in northern Ontario) if space becomes available, irrespective of their initial choice.
The seven patients subjected to fines had refused to vacate hospital premises. One woman from Windsor, Ontario, revealed that she declined to relocate her mother to a long-term care facility due to its unsatisfactory conditions. She received notice from the hospital of the $400 per day fine, amounting to over $12,000 to date.
NDP long-term care critic Wayne Gates criticized the government's lack of transparency and urged them to openly discuss the law's implementation and its impact on patients. Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner denounced the imposition of fines on hospital patients as unjust and emphasized the importance of honesty and accountability from the government regarding the number of affected patients and the fines imposed.
In summary, Ontario's decision to withhold information on fines levied against hospital patients refusing transfers to long-term care facilities reflects a lack of transparency and accountability. The law, intended to address hospital overcrowding, has faced criticism from opposition parties and advocates for its perceived infringement on patient rights and the need for clearer communication on its implementation and impact.
