The Progressive Conservatives are writing a new prescription for Ontario's cash-strapped health care system, starting with a change in who's making decisions about how billions of dollars are spent across the province.

The province should abolish regional organizations that decide where the money goes locally and instead rely on 30 to 40 "community hubs" created from existing hospital corporations and staffed by volunteer boards, the Tories said Monday.

The 14 Local Health Integration Networks set up by the Liberals, as well as the Tory-created Community Care Access Centres, aren't working and haven't been able to hit most of their targets, said Opposition Leader Tim Hudak.

The province should get rid of them, along with 2,000 "middle managers," and use that money to hire more doctors and nurses, he said.

"The sad reality is, if you have a loved one who's in the health-care system, far too often you've got to fight like hell to get anything done," Hudak said.

"We're going to change that. And we're going to put patients not bureaucrats at the centre of our health-care system."

Heath care now consumes nearly half of every dollar spent by the government, which is facing a $15-billion deficit.

More money is being spent on health care, but the government isn't achieving the results for the money it's taking, Hudak said. His party's "bold new ideas" would put patients first, create jobs and help grow the economy.

"This is not about a new coat of paint on an old system," Hudak said. "It's fundamental reform to take out layers of bureaucracy, invest in patient care instead and bring decisions closer to the communities where people actually live."

The Tories also want to accelerate patient-centred funding where hospitals get money for every service they perform and reduce the size of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

Original post:

Tories call for end to regional health organizations