Ontario Adding Approximately 60,000 Endoscopy Procedure Openings At Community Clinics Across The Province

The provincial government is looking to add about 60,000 gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy machines with OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance Plan) funding to private clinics, Ontario's health minister announced.

Health Minister Sylvia Jones and other officials said the aim of the work is to reduce the waiting time between the date of application and the date of endoscopy, which will help to quickly access diagnostic care and early detection of disease.

In a statement released Monday morning by the Ford administration, a new 10-week call for permit applications has been issued, and permits should be granted in early 2025.

The move comes after the Ontario government issued a similar recall for MRIs and CT scans. The statement also noted that 49 new MRI machines will be added to 42 Ontario hospitals.

A third round of license applications for orthopedic surgeries is expected to be issued in the fall, officials said. There was also pressure to reduce wait times for cataract and eye surgeries in Ontario, with officials announcing that four private cataract centers have received funding to perform nearly 32,000 procedures.

As Ontario's hospitals continue to deal with high patient demand, critics believe the use of private clinics could lead to further increases in wait times as public sector employees are encouraged to work in private clinics, City News reported.

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