In Ontario, people have access to a health care system that is qualified by the local government as “one of the best in the world”. The system offers Ontarians a diversity of publicly funded health care services in their own communities across the province that include visits to family doctors, specialists, basic health care services, emergencies, surgeries, and hospital stays.
All of these health care services are paid by the province through the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP), which is funded by the taxes paid by Ontarians. There are certain requirements that people need to meet to be eligible for the plan, and once they are in, there are multiple ways for them to get health care services when they need them.
In this informative article, we will talk about the top health care services in Ontario and how people can access them. Keep reading.
How To Access Health Care Services In Ontario
People who live in Ontario must prove they qualify to join the OHIP. If they don’t, they need to pay for the health care services they receive out of pocket or get private health care insurance.
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According to the local government, when applying for the plan, people must be able to prove their main residence is in Ontario and that they have been fiscally present in the province most of the days of the year. The plan is available to citizens of Canada, permanent residents, certain temporary residents, and foreign workers.
It is important to know that OHIP covers most basic health care services, as well as emergencies, but it doesn’t cover elective services, meaning services that are not required for medical reasons. For those additional services, Ontarians can consider getting complementary health care insurance.
Another important point to consider is that OHIP protects Ontarians when they travel outside of the province by covering emergency health care services for them. So, if a family is, for instance, on vacation in Quebec and they have a medical emergency, they can use their Ontario Health Card.
Speaking of the Ontario health card, that is precisely the document everyone needs to access health care services in the province, which is why Ontarians must always have their card on them.
Top Health Care Services In Ontario
There are multiple ways to receive health care services in Ontario, whether people have an emergency or not. If it is a life-threatening emergency, the recommendation given by the local government is to go to a hospital emergency room or call 9-1-1, but if it is not, Ontarians have the option to visit family doctors, nurses, or any other health care provider affiliated with OHIP.
To give you a general overview, these are the top health care services people can access in Ontario:
General Hospitals - According to the Ministry of Health, “Ontario's hospitals provide round-the-clock care to patients, including emergent, elective, specialized chronic care and rehabilitation. Hospitals work with other parts of the health care system to coordinate care to patients.” It should be noted that Ontario has public hospitals, private hospitals, and specialty psychiatric hospitals.
Home and Community Care Support Services - The Ministry of Health says “Home and Community Care Support Services organizations work with physicians, hospital teams and other health care providers to enhance access and coordination for people who need care in their own homes in the community, in supportive housing, or in a long-term care home.” These are services delivered by caregivers such as personal support workers (PSW) and nurses to help seniors, children with special needs, and people who need certain support with their daily activities.
Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinics - These are clinics where nurse practitioners (NP) oversee a team of different health care like registered nurses, (RN) registered practical nurses (RPN), family physicians, dietitians, pharmacists, and social workers, to offer an integral service to people in the community.
Public Health Units - "Health units administer health promotion and disease prevention programs to inform the public about healthy lifestyles, communicable disease control including education in STDs/AIDS, immunization, food premises inspection, healthy growth and development including parenting education, health education for all age groups and selected screening services." says the Ministry of Health.
Community Health Centres - Community Health Centres (CHCs) provide primary health and health promotion programs for people in their communities. These facilities are usually led by a community-elected board of directors.
So now you know the basics of health care services in Ontario and how to access them. Of course, if you need more information, you should look for information published by the Ministry of Health of Ontario, but if you are new to the province or were simply not sure what to do or where to go to get medical help, this article is indented as an informative guideline for that.
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