NDP Leader Andrea Horwath is calling on the Ford government to resume non-urgent surgeries and take action to clear the backlog in medical procedures due to the pandemic.
Horwath is offering a number of suggestions to tackle the wait list -- including extending the availability of operating room time.
She says the province should also implement a centralized referral system that would assess patients on their level of need, and develop a strategy to retain and recruit more operating room nurses.
The Ontario Medical Association says the pandemic has created a backlog of nearly 20 million health-care services, based on provincial data from March 2020 to last September.
Some Ontarians say they're frustrated with the provincial government's decision to re-open businesses next week while non-urgent surgeries in the province are still put on hold.
Emma Saunders says her hand surgery has been cancelled twice in the last month and worries the delay will mean she won't be able to get full function out of her hand again.