Deplorable state of care no surprise

Re Wettlaufer inquiry must confront struggling long-term care system,

Walkom, Aug. 4 No praise is due the provincial government for calling an inquiry regarding the deplorable nursing home situation, since that government has constantly failed in its duty to effectively oversee and enforce serious consequences against facilities that repeatedly breach legislated standards and regulations.

Whenever problems and debacles escalate to a level that enrages the public, it’s not surprising for the government to assign another authority to make recommendations, essentially to shield themselves from public scrutiny.

Since 2003, a countless number of families have taken their complaints and concerns about the abysmal treatment and wrongful deaths of loved ones to the Ministry of Health and Longterm Care. Some of the most inconceivable, gruesome deaths and devastating injuries have occurred in Ontario nursing homes over the past 13 years.

In 2008, the Office of the Ontario Ombudsman launched an in-depth investigation into the ministry’s regulating practices. There are “serious, systemic problems” with the Ontario government’s oversight of long-term care facilities, stated former ombudsman André Marin.

When faced with public exposure of a formal report, the government made promises that things would improve. Clearly, the problems have worsened.

Three years later, petitions stating “no confidence in the min- istry to provide effective oversight” were brought to Queen’s Park, asking the government to give the ombudsman’s office the authority to oversee longterm-care facilities. With condescending arrogance, the request was disregarded by Liberal MPPs, stating the ministry and the coroner’s office were adequately protecting the residents, despite what thousands of alarming inspection reports said to the contrary.

In 2015, auditor general Bonnie Lysyk stated in her annual report, “The ministry’s actions are not sufficient to address the repeated non-compliance in certain long-term-care homes.”

Year after year, without exception, the media continues to report alarming incidences that happen with predictable frequency in long-term-care facilities.

The public has the right to know why the ministry hasn’t been held accountable for the reprehensible record of abuse and horrific deaths in provincially regulated and licensed nursing homes. Ellen Watson, Aurora