LILLEY: Ford gets the right vax mandate for healthcare workers

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The Ford administration will not impose a province-wide vaccination mandate on healthcare workers.

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The government cited a high level of vaccinations among doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers, as well as concerns about the impact mandatory vaccinations would have on surgeries and other medical procedures.

It’s a sensible decision that prioritizes patient care over a rigid demand that everyone take the hit.

Opposition parties, the Ontario Medical Association, the Ontario Hospital Association and others called for a government vaccination mandate for the entire province, but on Wednesday Prime Minister Doug Ford said no.

“I am not prepared to jeopardize the provision of care to millions of Ontarians,” Ford said in a statement Wednesday.

“Having examined the evidence, our government has decided to keep its approach flexible by leaving human resource decisions up to individual hospitals.”

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As the Toronto sun First reported three weeks ago, Ford sent a letter to hospital CEOs and other health executives asking for their views on a government mandate for vaccines for the sector.

His letter also asked a series of direct questions about whether hospitals had plans to deal with surgical delays and what impact the loss of staff due to vaccine mandates would have on the provision of ongoing services.

British Columbia has put 3,225 healthcare workers on unpaid leave for not being vaccinated. That only works for about 2.5% of the healthcare workforce in that province, but it still led to a reduction in surgeries, diagnoses and other medical procedures.

Quebec was supposed to present a vaccination mandate for healthcare workers on October 15, but delayed it until November 15 in front of more than 20,000 unvaccinated workers. Announcing the decision to delay the mandate, the Quebec health minister said losing those workers would have meant closing 35 operating rooms and 600 hospital beds.

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On Wednesday, Quebec abandoned its vaccination mandate for existing healthcare workers and said it would now only apply to new hires. Health Minister Christian Dube said Quebec could not afford to lose so many staff.

“Depriving us 8,000 people will have devastating consequences for our network,” said Dube.

Given the backlog of surgeries in Ontario and the number of people who did not undergo cancer screenings and other major medical procedures due to COVID closures, it makes no sense to close operating rooms and cancel procedures because of vaccination status.

We need people receiving treatment, not laid off workers. However, that is what the opposition wants.

I asked Andrea Horwath, NDP leader, three times earlier this week what the balance should be between vaccinating workers and ensuring procedures are not canceled due to a lack of healthcare workers. On three occasions, Horwath said he wanted a vaccination mandate, even if it meant canceling the surgeries.

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It would be preferable if everyone were vaccinated, but that is not realistic.

Nor is it the fault of Ford or the Ontario government and their policies. We don’t get the full vaccination when it comes to schools, the flu shot, even for healthcare workers, and this is not a problem unique to Ontario.

This is not exclusive to health either.

Flights are being canceled across North America as airlines fire or suspend unvaccinated workers. The TTC is reducing bus service to serve unvaccinated workers.

The vast majority of people in Ontario and across Canada have been vaccinated, and polls show strong support for vaccine mandates. However, the actions can have consequences, and one of the consequences of pushing for a vaccine mandate will be fewer health workers.

We’ve already seen workers at the door or suspended, including 59 at Kingston, 57 at Windsor, 47 at Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, 147 at Sick Kids, and nearly 200 at University Health Network in Toronto. Fewer workers means less care; It’s as simple as that.

Ford has made a difficult decision, but it is the right one to ensure that patients are not turned away for lack of staff.