The Ontario health care system is broken and significant work is needed to fix it.
That statement is being delivered by Treasury Board President Peter Bethlenfalvy.
He admits the system has reached a crisis stage.
Speaking in Dryden, Bethlenfalvy stressed that health care is 40% of the provincial budget.
He says they are currently dealing with an aging and growing population and “hall room” care because there’s no access to emergency beds.
Bethlenfalvy notes a number of people currently occupying hospital beds are waiting for a space in long term care facilities.
He says there are 100,000 people in need of a long term care bed, with a waiting list of 32,000.
Bethlenfalvy stresses the Ford government has “committed to build those 30,000 long term care beds. That’s a priority!”
Bethlenfalvy adds some progress has been made, but additional support is required.
He says “We have to invest in our health care system. We have to take care of our population and it’s not easy work, it’s complex. We’ve increased the investments in health care by $1.3-billion, the most we’ve ever spent as a province in health care.”
Last week the Dryden Regional Health Centre announced it’s dealing with unusually high occupancy rates and extended wait times for emergency care.
