The Ford government is formally asking for new private health clinics to apply to enter the publicly funded health-care system as it ramps up its strategy to reduce wait times for surgery and diagnostics.
On Monday, the Ministry of Health said it was issuing a call for applications for new licences for clinics looking to offer publicly funded MRI and CT scans. There are currently seven clinics that provide either one or both of the services in Ontario.
The government said it hopes adding new clinics will create 100,000 more scans for people in Ontario every year.
Prospective clinics will submit a staffing plan to the province, details about how they will inform patients of their rights and obtain consent, along with how they will link to the existing public system.
A spokesperson for the government said there was not a specific number of clinics they were looking to license.
“The total number of new clinics will be decided based on the review of applications by the Director of Integrated Community Health Service Centres in conjunction with OH and the review panel,” they said.
The spokesperson said the locations of the new clinics would also be decided through that review.
The call for applications will end on Aug. 12, 2024, and the successful bidders will be announced in the fall 2024.
“Increasing the number of MRI and CT scans being done each year is the next step we’re taking to reduce wait times for more publicly funded surgeries and procedures, ensuring people get the care they need when they need it,” Minister of Health Sylvia Jones said in a statement.