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The government has passed new legislation that will make the health care system more responsive to the needs of the public by strengthening and supporting health professionals and the various programs and services that make up our health care system.
Highlights of the Health System Improvements Act, 2007 include :
- Increasing transparency of health regulatory colleges by requiring them to post information on their websites such as :
- findings of malpractice and professional negligence against regulated health care professionals;
- findings of professional misconduct related to offences committed by regulated health care professionals where they were found guilty (e.g., criminal offences); and
- enhanced summaries of discipline decisions about regulated health care professionals.
- Establishing the first-ever Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion – a centre for public health excellence that will provide research, scientific and technical advice and support.
- Enhancing services that optometrists provide, improving access to dental hygienists, and establishing new colleges to regulate four additional health professions – naturopathy, homeopathy, kinesiology and psychotherapy.
- The Chase McEachern Act (Heart Defibrillator Civil Liability), 2007 which will provide liability protection to individuals, who attempt to use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) in an emergency, and to owners and occupiers of premises with AEDs. Chase McEachern was a young boy who died of a heart condition who had wanted to promote the installation and use of defibrillators to save lives.
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