Horwath calls for dependable health care in Timmins

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath is in Timmins to hear from representatives at the Timmins and District Hospital about the challenges facing patients and families due to the Liberal government’s cuts to hospital funding.

Horwath says it’s time for the Liberal government to stop cutting hospital care and ensure that Ontario families can count on their health care system to be there when they need it. She reiterated that hospital funding should be stable, predictable and, at a minimum, must keep pace with inflation and population growth.

“The last thing people should have to worry about is their family’s health care. Instead of stability, people are watching as hundreds of nurses are fired, hospital beds are closed, and services are being cut across Ontario because this Liberal government is forcing hospitals to make decisions based on dollars and deficits, instead of what’s best for patients,” said Horwath. “Health care is this government’s silent crisis. Ontarians deserve health care they can count on, and that’s what the NDP is determined to deliver.”

More than 1,440 nursing positions have been cut since the start of 2015 because hospital base funding was frozen by Kathleen Wynne for four straight years. Budget 2016 contains a mere one percent increase. By refusing to ensure hospital funding keeps up with inflation and the cost of serving a growing population, the Liberals are forcing hospitals to cut patient care and lay-off frontline health care workers.

At the Timmins and District Hospital, the government’s frozen hospital budgets have meant that the hospital has been forced to make difficult decisions to keep up with inflationary pressures each and every year. Hydro costs alone have increased 48.9% over the same five year period that the budget has been frozen by the Liberals.

“14 million Ontarians rely on the health care system. Whether it is parents worried about a sick child, or our growing senior population who need more care to stay healthy, we all count on our hospitals and emergency rooms,” continued Horwath. “We need to make sure, at the very least, that hospital funding keeps up with inflation and population growth. Ontario can and must do so much better.”