The Ontario government aims to boost the rights of patients and make other changes to the health-care system under an omnibus bill introduced on Tuesday.

The bill proposes to create a research centre of excellence for infectious diseases, similar to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

Under the bill, the patient complaints process would also be streamlined, and the power of regulatory bodies such as the College of Physicians and Surgeons to order interim suspensions of its members would also change.

Currently, there are 23 regulated health professions in Ontario, including doctors, dentists, nurses, social workers and physiotherapists.

Each profession has its own system of dealing with complaints, with different standards on releasing information about the disciplinary process.

If the bill passes, the new authority would have the ability to order interim suspensions for practitioners, if a preliminary investigation committee believes continued practice would pose a serious risk to the public.

The bill also proposes to:

• Establish naturopathy, homeopathy, kinesiology and psychotherapy as regulated professions in the health-care system, with extra authority for optometrists, dental hygienists and pharmacists.
• Boost air and land ambulance care with a new fleet of nine vehicles — one each in London, Kingston, Ottawa, Hamilton, Sudbury, Peterborough and Barrie, and two in the Greater Toronto Area — to transfer patients between facilities across the province.
• Protect people who use defibrillators in public places, like ice rinks, so they could not be sued for an unsuccessful attempt to save a life.
• Add a four-phase audit process to review Ontario Health Insurance Plan billing procedures.
• Transfer legislative responsibility for small drinking-water systems to the Health Ministry from the Environment Ministry.

With files from the Canadian Press