BackOmbudsman of Ontario, Andre Marin called for the Province of Ontario to give his office the authority to oversee institutions in the so-called MUSH sectors. They include municipalities, universities, school boards, hospitals, nursing homes and long-term care facilities, police services and children's aid societies.
Ontario is the only province where the MUSH sectors don't fall under an ombudsman's oversight. In Ontario, the provincial government transfers $16 billion a year to hospitals, said Marin. “That's larger than our national defense budget, and there are no outside checks and balances. If you have a problem with a hospital, where do you go?”
People unhappy with the treatment of loved ones can appeal to a hospital's chief executive officer. If you complain to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care about hospitals and nursing homes, they'll “send you back to those places,” Ombudsman Marin said.
After concluding positive talks with Prime Minister Dalton McGuinty, Ombudsman Marin believes, it’s mostly a matter of when, not if, the province extends his office’s jurisdiction to the MUSH sectors.
Source: Office of the Ombudsman of Ontario
