Doug Ford ate a bee while discussing health care privatization, On Friday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford caused quite a stir when he let the media know that a bee had crawled into his mouth and down his throat.
When the bee buzzed into Ford’s mouth, he was in the middle of fielding questions from reporters in Dundalk, Ontario, on the widespread shortage of health care workers across the province and the idea of privatizing the system.
While he was coughing up blood, he said, “Holy Christ, I just swallowed a bee.”
It was possible to overhear others in the audience expressing their concern about Ford.
Ford made light of the situation after taking a swig of water from a bottle and remarking, “This is going to be repeated over and over again.”
On the other hand, the discomfort that the premier was feeling was plain to see.
“Apologies, gentlemen. The scamp managed to escape via that opening, “he replied.
Ford reacted as follows when someone in the audience queried whether or not it was okay for him to continue speaking: “I’m OK. There is a buzzing sound inside.”
“Man, he went down the drain like a hot knife through butter!”
Laughing, he exclaimed, “Man, he went right down the hatch.” “Man, he went right down the hatch.”
Ford has stated to the press that he is an ardent supporter of public health care, but that his administration plans to “be creative” when examining the various methods by which it could be provided.
When asked on Friday if the province of Ontario is exploring greater privatization of the health-care system, Ford responded with the phrase “everything is on the table.”
He stated, “I’m not going to do anything without speaking with the professionals out there,” and he was serious about his statement. “There is one thing that we will guarantee for you, and that is that you will always be covered by OHIP, not the credit card.”
When questioned if patients would be required to pay anything if they underwent surgery at a private clinic, Ford responded that it would be “100%” covered under their insurance plan.
He vowed that their stance will not change under any circumstances.
“Are we going to use our imaginations? Absolutely. As I’ve already indicated, we as a province can’t just keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect a different result.”
Health Minister Sylvia Jones made the statement earlier this week that the government is looking at all possibilities to strengthen the health system, which sparked fears of more privatization of the health system. She later clarified that the idea of forcing consumers to pay out of pocket for services that are currently covered by OHIP is not something that is being considered.
The extreme scarcity of nursing staff
This summer, a significant lack of registered nurses has caused a number of emergency departments around the province to temporarily close for several hours or even days. The shortfall has had a greater impact on less resource-dense rural hospitals than it has on their larger metropolitan counterparts.
According to Ford, his government is currently consulting with professionals from all areas of the healthcare industry in an effort to figure out how to address the staffing issue. However, both he and Jones have, to this point, declined to provide any specifics of the choices that they are considering.
On Friday, the Premier cited a private hernia surgery clinic as an excellent illustration of how the private sector may assist in the transition to a public health care system. The business was grandfathered in at the time of the transition.
France Gélinas, a critic of the New Democratic Party in the area of health care, voiced opposition to the concept of increased privatization.
She issued a written statement in which she stated, “They will suck staff away from our public hospitals and urgent care centers, thereby making the health care crisis much worse.”
If a private surgical facility accepts your OHIP card as payment for your procedure, the clinic will send you a bill for your stay, the pain medication you use, your meals, any necessary physical therapy, and other services.
Bee stole the show with her performance.
Concerning the bee, who was the center of attention on Friday, Ford said: “This one is quite excellent… I have no recollection of the topic that we had been discussing. I’ll get this bee out of here as quickly as I can by heading to the hospital.”
It was not immediately obvious whether or not the prime minister went to a hospital, but there was speculation about it.
After some time had passed, he stated that the bee “is working hard creating a hive down there.”
As the press conference came to a close, he stated, “That sucker is still buzzing away.”
