Premier Doug Ford believes the health care system in Ontario is holding its own but admits hospitals and ER’s are facing increased pressures due to staff shortages.
Closures or threatened disruptions have plagued the health care system in northern Ontario and across the province this summer.
However, Ford says 9 out of 10 high-urgency patients are finishing their emergency visit within targeted times and surgeries are happening at nearly 90% of pre-pandemic rates.
“I believe from the time they walk in, time they get treated, time they leave, it’s within eight hours”, notes Ford.
He says that’s welcome news but stresses a lot more work needs to be done.
Ford says the province is working with the College of Nurses to get more internationally trained nurses into Ontario’s health care system.
He adds the federal government has a role to play in ongoing staff shortages.
Ford says Ontario is a leader in health care coverage but they can’t fix gaps on their own.
He notes health care shortages are an issue right across Canada and around the world, and Ontario isn’t immune.
The NDP report 25 hospitals were impacted by long weekend closures but Health Minister Sylvia Jones is still painting a rosy picture of the situation.
Health critic and Northern Ontario MPP France Gelinas says, “Jones is either lying, or isn’t listening to patients and frontline health care heroes, who have been telling devastating stories of a worsening crisis.”
Gelinas adds, “If Jones doesn’t find this mess to be unacceptable, how bad is she prepared to let our health care system get? Seriously sick patients are being moved. Long waits and hallway medicine are rampant. And some people will rush to ER only to find the doors locked.”
She is calling for a number of changes including the elimination of wage cap legislation, Bill 124.
