France Gélinas, the MPP for Nickel Belt spoke in the legislature late last week about the need for better funding to support Northern Ontarians who must travel long distances to access healthcare.
She told her peers the Northern Health Travel Grant was set up to ease the financial burden of northerners having to travel down south for medical reasons, but as it currently exists, it is leaving many patients vulnerable and unable to access the care they need.
She says patients need to have the money upfront, but it takes weeks or months to be reimbursed and some simply cannot afford the costs of travelling.
She adds there are 17 agencies in Nickel Belt that provide upfront funding for those in need, but most do not.
Gélinas emphasizes it’s clear Ontario needs an emergency fund, available to the people in the North facing these circumstances; because what is in place now is simply not working.
Video: https://www.facebook.com/france.gelinas.92/videos/2666354830181928
