TORONTO – The Ontario government announced further restrictions to how medical tourism operates in the province in a statement released late Friday afternoon.
The province has come under fire of late from healthcare organizations which claimed medical tourism was stealing resources meant for Ontario patients.
Dr. Eric Hoskins, Ontario’s Minister of Health, announced Friday there would be changes to the program to try and alleviate some of those concerns.
According to the statement, Ontario hospitals will no longer be able to “market to, solicit or treat international patients” with the exception of treatment associated with existing contracts.
Hoskins said in the statement the changes will not affect charitable treatment of international patients or vacationers, students, landed immigrants or refugees.
“In order to ensure future accountability and transparency, my ministry will work with relevant hospitals on a framework to ensure compliance with the above principles and requirements,” Hoskins said in the statement. “In the interim, I have asked hospitals not to enter into new international consulting contracts that include the treatment of foreign nationals in Ontario.”
In late October, a coalition of health organizations petitioned the Liberal government to ban medical tourism. The group, which included Canadian Doctors for Medicare, said hospitals should not be creating for-profit programs to attract international patients.
“No one should be able to jump to the front of the queue ahead of people with real medical needs, no matter where they come from and no matter how much money they have,” said Dr. Ryan Meili, Vice-Chair of Canadian Doctors for Medicare, in a media release at the time.
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