Ontario expanding publicly funded private surgical and diagnostic centres

Ontario is expanding its suite of publicly funded private community surgical and diagnostic centres.

Premier Doug Ford says the province is investing $155 million over the next two years to create 57 new centres for MRI and CT scans and gastrointestinal endoscopy services.

Ford says the new clinics will help ease the burden on hospitals and reduce wait times.

The province says it will add 35 new centres for MRI and CT scans that it says will serve more than 800,000 patients. It will also add 22 centres to deliver endoscopy services.

Ford's Progressive Conservative government first introduced sweeping changes to the delivery of health care in 2023 in response to a massive surgical and diagnostic test backlog.

The province has increased the number of cataract surgeries delivered through private clinics and has expanded into low-complexity orthopedic surgeries such as routine hip and knee replacements.

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Ford made Friday's announcement at the Schroeder Ambulatory Centre in Richmond Hill, Ont., which received the first such licence to operate a new centre.

"We are created with a simple but powerful mission to reduce pain, increase mobility and improve health-care efficiency for Ontarians," said Raj Kothari, a board member with the Schroeder Ambulatory Centre Foundation.

"As a non profit, every dollar we generate is reinvested directly into patient care, expanding services and supporting the broader health system."

The ambulatory centre will receive $14 million from the province and will provide MRIs, CT scans and endoscopy procedures to 115,000 patients over two years.

The Walter and Maria Schroeder Foundation committed $300 million for the new centre.

Health Minister Sylvia Jones said no special favours were curried to the new ambulatory centre, which was built without assurance it would be granted a licence if it applied.

"This facility truly is and was a leap of faith for them to show their commitment to Ontario and our community and the health-care system," Jones said.

"And there were no promises made. They made this gift to Ontario and to our health-care system because they saw the need."