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A recent inspection of 186 of the 1,000 private medical clinics in Ontario found 10 per cent had problems so serious that inspectors recommended suspending or restricting their licenses. The inspections, carried out by the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons, found 18 other clinics that needed "to correct deficiencies having definite quality of care concerns."
The Ministry of Health, which paid for the inspections, refuses to release information about the problem clinics. Nearly 900 clinics have been inspected since 1991. Of those, 30 per cent had similar problems.
The majority of the clinics do ultrasound, radiology, pulmonary function and nuclear medicine testing. Other clinics provide plastic surgery, vein surgery, abortions and some eye operations. The services are funded by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan. Test results are used to diagnose everything from lung disease to the spread of cancer.
The Ministry of Health told journalists that details of these publicly funded inspections, of clinics using public funds, are secret because releasing clinic names would violate owners’ privacy. Shielding these clinics from public scrutiny is a serious threat to patient health.
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