MPP Walker calls on Liberal Government to make access to seniors’ drugs and nursing home beds front and centre

QUEEN’S PARK – The Ontario PC Critic for Seniors and Long-Term Care, Bill Walker, says he is appalled by the Liberal Government’s proposal to reduce access to seniors’ drugs, contained in the 2016 Budget. Today, he called on the Wynne Liberals to halt proposed changes to seniors’ drug benefits.

“It’s a well-known fact that most seniors live in medically underserviced and rural areas and that they live on a fixed income. As such, we have to ensure they have affordable access to medical drugs,” MPP Walker said. “The government’s changes as proposed in this budget will hurt the vast majority of our seniors by nearly doubling the cost of their prescription drugs. It will reduce access, contributing to poor health over time and causing potentially much higher costs to the system. This is unacceptable.”

Nipissing MPP and Ontario PC Finance Critic Vic Fedeli has also demanded the government backtrack on proposed changes to senior’s drug benefits.

MPP Walker also highlighted that the government must make access to nursing home beds front and centre.

“From my riding of Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound and across all communities, long-term care is in a crisis situation in every corner of Ontario,” Walker stated. “We have 24,000 seniors on a waitlist for a nursing bed, a waitlist that will double to 50,000 seniors in just 6 years. We have aging, crumbling long-term care homes and 30,000 outdated nursing beds that need to be rebuilt to safe, modern standards.”

“After 13 long years in power, and despite me challenging the Minister, this government has still not issued an action plan to say when and where they will build the needed beds to house our province’s most vulnerable people and when,” he added.

MPP Walker said seniors’ care in Ontario is under threat of being rationed by the Liberal government, citing recent cuts to their physiotherapy services.

“It’s a deplorable and indefensible record. And frankly, it shows very little respect for our valued seniors,” concluded MPP Walker. “Our senior citizens deserve respect and much better care than they’re getting under this Liberal government. We call on the Wynne Liberals to halt the drug cost increases, return funding for physiotherapy services and take action on creating beds today!”