QUEEN’S PARK — On Nov. 20, Doug Ford’s Bill 7 regulations imposing $400-a-day bills on alternate level of care patients are due to take effect, bullying vulnerable people from hospital beds into long-term care homes they didn’t choose. France Gélinas, NDP Health critic, and Wayne Gates, NDP critic for Long-Term Care, Retirement Homes and Home Care released the following statement ahead of Sunday:
“Elderly and vulnerable people across the province are bracing for the possibility of being torn apart from their loved ones as the financial threat contained in Doug Ford’s Bill 7 regulations comes into effect. Any alternate level of care patient unable to pay exorbitant fees of $400 a day will be at risk of being forced from hospital beds into long-term care homes that they didn’t choose, far from their loved ones.
Doug Ford’s cruel scheme to bully families with financial penalties does nothing to free up more nurses for sick patients or solve the staffing crisis in our hospitals. To address the staffing crisis in our hospitals, we need to repeal Bill 124 so we can attract and retain nurses. We are calling on Doug Ford to drop his $400-a-day financial threat and invest in health care, home care, and long-term care so people can get the care they need close to their loved ones.”