As you may have heard, in response to the Health Quality Ontario (HQO) Report and Recommendations on Modernizing Ontario’s Radiation Protection Regulations, the HARP Act may be repealed and replaced by legislation governing the use of Energy Applying and Detecting Medical Devices (EADMDs).
The proposed Bill 160 has had its 2nd reading and is now entering into the consultation phase with interested stakeholders.
This is an excerpt from the provincial Ministry of Health and Long Term Care describing the proposed legislation:
As you may be aware, Bill 160 includes the Oversight of Health Facilities and Devices Act, 2017 (Schedule 9 of the Bill) that will, if passed, oversee community health facilities (CHFs) and energy applying and detecting medical devices (EADMDs). The proposed legislation, if passed, would repeal the Independent Health Facilities Act and the Healing Arts Radiation Protection Act and replace them with the Oversight of Health Facilities and Devices Act, 2017. It would also allow the repeal of the Private Hospitals Act, 1991 at a later date.
- CHFs provide health care services outside of hospitals (e.g., Independent Health Facilities and Out of Hospital Premises).
- EADMDs apply or detect acoustic, electromagnetic, or particle radiation in relation to human beings (e.g., X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging, and ultrasound machines).
The OAMP supports the HQO report and any changes to Ontario legislation that increase patient safety and quality of care while continuing to protect the general public and reduce system costs. For these reasons, the OAMP has formed a Working Group from volunteer members to work on our response to this proposed legislation. The Working Group consists of:
- Ivan Yeung (Head of Medical Physics, Southlake Regional Health Centre)
- Jeff Frimeth (President & Chief Medical Physicist at JF Medical Physics Inc.)
- Nick Shkumat (Diagnostic Medical Physicist at Sick Kids)
- Glenn Wells (Medical Physicist at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute)
The focus of the Working Group is how the new legislation will impact the use of X-ray technology (fluoroscopy, CT, X-ray imaging, and other similar technology).
The province will be striking a Task Force made up of up to 12 representatives of stakeholders in the coming weeks to consult on Bill 160. The Task Force is chaired by David Jaffray, Executive Vice President of Technology and Innovation at University Health Network; however, the Task Force is currently recruiting other stakeholder members. The OAMP has submitted Nick Shkumat and Ting Lee to represent the OAMP membership in this Task Force.
Bill 160 has the potential to significantly alter the way that diagnostic, radiation oncology, and nuclear medicine Medical Physicists practice in Ontario. As stakeholders in this important legislative development, the OAMP will strive to represent the best interests of our membership with regard to any of the proposed changes.
The Working Group would gladly welcome any input from OAMP members. Please contact us at info@oamponline.net.
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For more information and to view the progress of Bill 160, please visit the website of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
For the Health Quality Ontario report and recommendations on modernizing radiation protection legislation, please click here.
