NDP question Ford government's proposal to reduce LHINs

Ontario's New Democrat health critic is questioning the Ford government as it considers reducing the number of Local Health Integration Networks across the province.

CBC News has learned the Progressive Conservatives are looking at cutting the number of LHINs from 14 to five.

They LHINs were created in 2007 by former Liberal premier Dalton McGuinty. Their mandate was to improve the integration of local health care services.

NDP health critic and Nickel Belt MPP France Gelinas says she doesn't see how the change would save money.

"The planning will still need to be done, the signing of agreements will still need to be done," she said.

"Right now, all of the people who need to be placed in a long term care home, all of this is handled by the LHINs. So is homecare. All that work will still need to be done. It will now be done in super bureaucracy rather than 14 LHINs."

Gelinas adds regional areas of Ontario should maintain control of their health care needs.

"Having people at Queen's Park making health decisions for us [in northern Ontario] has never worked in the past," she said.

"Giving local people a voice was a good thing. We're losing our local voice and we're creating super bureaucracy."

In a statement to CBC News, the Minister of Health and Long-term Care, Christine Elliott says only that problems with the LHINs started under the former government.

"For 15 years, the Liberal government failed to develop a comprehensive health care strategy and we were left with a fractured health care system that is built for bureaucracy and not for patients," she said.

"Our government for the people was elected to put the patient at the centre of a sustainable health care system built for the future. We are committed to that transformation."