TORONTO - Ontario's chief medical officer of health is urging the province to set targets to prevent disease and other ailments.
Dr. Arlene King made the recommendation in her annual report, saying the province needs to set clear goals for every health benefit it wants to achieve.
She's also urging Ontario to apply a "health lens" to every program and policy to clarify the potential impact of everything the province does.
King says health-care professionals need to seize every patient visit as an opportunity to inform them about health promotion and disease prevention.
She says that would help leverage resources, and dramatically reduce the burden on its health-care system.
King notes 60 per cent of Ontarians are overweight or obese, and 13,000 smokers die each year -- which could be prevented.
