Ontario advancing plan to offer hip & knee replacements at private clinics

The next step in Ontario's plan to expand the number of privately operated clinics offering publicly funded health care will roll out early next year.

Four centres will reportedly be offering hip and knee replacements to start.

Health Minister Sylvia Jones says the expansion should ensure that 90 per cent of patients get those procedures within clinically recommended time frames, up from 80 per cent.

Critics say the province should instead be putting that money into publicly funded hospitals.