LHINs fight for survival

Louise Paquette, CEO of the North East LHIN continues her fight for survival, contradicting suggestions by Tim Hudak's Progressive Conservatives that LHINs have added extra bureaucratic costs that could be put into health care. Here's Paquette's claim:

"Concrete results are being achieved with less administration: The North East LHIN'S 36 staff has replaced 100 staff regional ministry and district health council offices.

"And we spend our money wisely. The NE LHIN allocates 99.8 % of its budget, around $1.2-billion annually, to frontline health care in our communities. Just 0.2 % is spent on staff living and working in our four community offices of North Bay, Sudbury, Sault Ste Marie and Timmins."

Paquette's claim sounds closer to the truth. The PC's suggestion that health care coordination and oversight can be done for little or nothing strains credulity to say the least.

But that doesn't mean the LHINs are the way to oversee health care provision (nor that LHIN officials should get involved in partisan debate).

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