Ford policies create division among health-care workers

At a time where unity and the motto “We’re in this together” is being thrown around like loose change, I wonder why the Doug Ford government continues to create division within the provincial health-care system?

The provinces’ financial initiatives of “pandemic pay” back in 2020 was the first divisive manoeuvre which saw the recognition of many front-line healthcare workers, but left many eligible professions on the outside looking in. I am a medical radiation technologist — I am the forgotten profession.

Many folks are unaware medical radiation technologists are the professionals responsible for your X-rays, CT scans, MRI scans and radiation cancer treatments; we continued to provide these services throughout the pandemic. However, despite all of our hard work and personal sacrifices, we were excluded from the provincial pandemic pay despite meeting all criteria for it, yet the province never reversed its decision to exclude us. Ontario was the only province to exclude us.

Also excluded were lab technicians, occupational and physiotherapists, speech pathologists and pharmacy technicians (just to name a few).

Recently, I heard that Ford has awarded a $5,000 retention bonus for nurses, meanwhile freezing the wage bargaining rights of many other professionals with his unconstitutional Bill 124. What a slap in the face to the other health-care workers who are facing just as much burnout, fatigue and staffing shortages as nurses. Are they not important, too?

These divisive tactics continue to create anger, resentment and frustration within the healthcare system at a time when we should be leveraging support from one another.

It is time that the Ford government recognized all of our frontline health-care heroes; as equality and solidarity go a long way to show appreciation for those whom we have depended and relied upon the most during these unprecedented times.

S. Garness, Wildlark Drive