[6] Additionally, nine senior eHealth employees had been fired in a four-month period, some reportedly for challenging the agency's tendering practices.
The opposition argued that the government of Premier Dalton McGuinty spent five years and $647 million on the forerunner of eHealth Ontario: the Smart Systems for Health Agency, which used 15 per cent of its $225-million annual budget on consultants despite employing 166 people with annual salaries exceeding $100,000, before the project was shut down and restarted as eHealth Ontario.
In a public statement, Kramer argued that when she took over as CEO of eHealth Ontario, she "was charged with turning around a failing behemoth - SSHA - which had already run through more than $600 million dollars with hardly anything to show for it in terms of moving Ontario closer to the goal of eHealth, and modernizing and improving the quality and safety of health care for Ontarians.
"[9] Journalists have argued that Sarah Kramer received a "trial by media" and that the province of Ontario will be at a loss with her departure, as delivery of eHealth initiatives will be slowed.
"[10] Journalists and former health policy advisors have noted that this media attention detracted from the organization's mandate and ability to deliver on much needed eHealth initiatives and healthcare reform in the province of Ontario.
One past policy director for a former Ontario Minister of Health, argued that the public's focus should be on holding the government accountable for mitigating the problems that have resulted and demanding progress on eHealth.