Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty defended his record of caring for the health of babies and moms at an eastern Ontario hospital Monday. McGuinty has been criticized by some nurses for changing the Healthy Baby, Healthy Children program, the Star has previously reported.
The popular education initiative was designed to help all parents with everything from breast-feeding to developmental issues. But now, Healthy Babies, Healthy Children will become more of a targeted initiative for those with higher-risk infants.
McGuinty told reporters at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario that the Liberals are actually pouring more money into the strategy. “It is alive and well with increased funding,” McGuinty told reporters. “And now we want to make sure the dollars devoted to that program are used in those cases that are most urgent.”
The Liberal party said they have increased funding for Healthy Babies by 28 per cent from $67 million to $86 million. How each party will control the growing, monstrous costs of health care is a looming issue in the Oct. 6 election campaign.
Currently, health care eats up $47 billion of the provincial budget. McGuinty deflected questions on how Ontario will pay for future health needs by talking about his record compared to the Tories.
“They closed 28 hospitals,” said McGuinty. “And they will do it again.”The Liberal government is in the process of building 18 hospitals, he added. But the Tories question the 28 figure, arguing the Liberals should provide a list of hospitals they have allegedly closed.
McGuinty and his wife Terri were at CHEO to meet patients and promote the current newborn screening program and vaccines. The Liberals said they have expanded access to newborn screening from two to 28 disorders since 2003.