Premier Doug Ford's decision to start leaning on private clinics for Ontario's healthcare needs earlier this year has had many in the province fearing a gradual move toward further privatization of an already-neglected public system.

Officials at the time vowed that OHIP will continue to cover all procedures and that the step — which is just an expansion of the tens of thousands of insured services that were already offered at independent health facilities — was imperative to help curb the immense post-pandemic backlog.

But, Ford has not been the best at following through with promises, so people have been understandably concerned that these for-profit entities will end up having a more dominant presence in the sector, and that patients will eventually be charged (they already are for optional upgrades to certain insured services offered at private clinics).

People in Ontario are seriously worried after Doug Ford's latest announcement https://t.co/8EqNJp1Axq #Ontario #DougFord #ONpoli

— blogTO (@blogTO) January 16, 2023

One chilling new ad perfectly embodies the nightmarish scene that many are imagining could potentially be on the way for us in a worst-case scenario of full privatization.

Titled "Our Lives are Not For Profit," the content comes from OPSEU, the union representing public sector employees in Ontario, and as people on social media are pointing out, it feels very akin to an episode of the popular dystopian drama Black Mirror.

People fear Loblaws-funded app may be the future of private healthcare in Ontario https://t.co/Ew1PS3Iyzk #Ontario #Healthcare

— blogTO (@blogTO) January 20, 2023

In the video, we see two menacing men in suits rolling a very nervous-looking individual through the halls of a healthcare centre on a gurney.

As the patient approaches the next step in their journey toward what we learn is a surgical procedure, a screen extends on a robotic arm in front of their face, offering a chance to cut their wait time with a Canada's Wonderland-esque "fast pass" — which comes at an additional fee, of course.

Moments later, they are given another chance to upgrade, this time with a drug package for a "painless procedure." After they make their selection, an anaesthesia mask is placed on their face by yet another robotic arm and they drift off to sleep.

We hear their deep breaths and the heart-rate monitor beeping on in the background as the screen goes black. But then, our patient awakens to the sight of three ominous individuals standing over them.

Again, a screen appears, with a computer-generated voice asking the very disturbing question: "Tired of waking up mid-surgery? Top up your anaesthesia now."

But, when the patient goes to press the "pay now" button, their account is found to have insufficient funds, no matter how fervently they continue to tap the icon, growing visibly more terror-stricken with each attempt.

The union's logo pops up along with the URL to its website encouraging people to email their local representatives to ask that necessary medical procedures in Ontario remain fully public.

Here's why OHIP and LifeLabs are trending in Ontario right now and it's not good https://t.co/kkFOVSOIt5 #Ontario #OHIP #LifeLabs

— blogTO (@blogTO) May 31, 2022

So far, the video has clearly been resonating with residents on socials, where some people are calling it "well done" and saying it is "exactly what people need to see," while others are deeming it "fear-mongering."

Many are noting that even if the situation presented is unlikely, any sort of privatization could lead to even more significant staffing shortages, less funding and an overall worse state of a public system already in decline.