Why it matters: de Villa’s departure from her position is the latest example of problems that have emerged from years of under-investment in Toronto’s public health system.
Major risks: Delays in collecting sufficient data are a significant problem in Toronto Public Health’s analysis of hepatitis C.
To identify transmission, de Villa had to access data that some labs didn’t keep, the report notes.
The article notes: “The [Hepatitis C patient data] has not been uniformly recorded, especially in first checks by phone. Problems have also been experienced in collecting and calculating their numbers.”
What’s next: OSC will form a public inquiry into the problems — but that may take months, documents indicate. In the meantime, chief medical officer of health Dr. Eric Hoskins, previously health minister of Ontario, will lead the department until June 2019.