Echoing sentiments expressed by the NDP, Patrick Brown says Ontario's health care system is in crisis.
The leader of the Progressive Conservatives spoke to roughly 200 people at the Macdonald Cartier Club of London's meeting at the Lamplighter Inn on Thursday.
He says health care in the province has diminished under 13 years of Liberal rule.
"The greatest challenge in health care today is the mismanagement," says Brown. "Too much administration and not enough front lines . They've opted for the easy route. They invest in hospital management and Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs), not patients and that's where we are encouraging there needs to be a change."
Brown says if the PC's were in power, there would be massive cuts at the top.
"Obviously you have to have some administration but my heavy emphasis would be on patients," says Brown." When I'm hearing stories of us paying 40% to administration that is something I would never abide by. It is intolerable that, that sort of money could be spent on administration and not on patients. The system is broken when that is happening."
Two weeks ago NDP Leader Andrea Horwath voiced similar concerns about the province's health care after meeting with nurses from the Ontario Nurses Association in London.
"I know both the NDP and the Progressive Conservatives are concerned about health care. No party at Queen's Park raises in question period as often the issues of health care as our party does," says Brown. "We are proud to stand up for our physicians, our nurses, our hospitals that are being cut left, right, and centre and we are going to continue to do that.
In the budget tabled February 25 the Liberal government promised $51.8-billion for health care in the province.
