FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Brockville, ON – Health care workers represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees will hold a rally outside local Ontario PC MPP Steve Clark’s office in Brockville in response to funding cuts by the provincial government.
The government’s fall economic statement shows a plan to cut hospital funding by 10 per cent in real terms over three years by 2027-28 as projected spending fails to cover the six per cent annual cost inflation for hospitals, says CUPE.
The consequences of fiscal restraint are already being felt by staff and patients in hospitals across Ontario, as hundreds of jobs are being eliminated in North Bay, Hamilton, Ottawa, Niagara and the GTA as most hospitals face deficits and are cutting back on patient care.
“This government promised to clear surgical waiting lists and to end hallway medicine. 200,000 people are waiting for surgeries, and 73,000 patients are waiting longer than clinically recommended. 2,000 are on hallway stretchers waiting for beds and the government has now announced it will no longer report those numbers,” said Michael Hurley, president of CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU-CUPE), which represents 45,000 health care workers. “The PC funding plan through to 2027-28 will have devastating consequences for many people needing hospital treatment in Ontario.”
In Brockville, about 45 nurses and PSWs could lose their jobs across the health care system by 2027-28 if the government doesn’t increase funding. Based on projections by the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario,about 2,450 hospital beds could be lost across the province along with 9,000 nursing and PSW positions.
The union is alarmed about these cuts at a time when patient care is already compromised due to insufficient staffing and bed capacity. For instance, at the Brockville General Hospital, ER patients who require admission to the hospital wait an average of 17 hours. Only 25 per cent of patients are admitted within the target time of eight hours.
“Patients are not receiving the care they deserve in our hospitals,” said Sharon Richer, secretary-treasurer of OCHU-CUPE. “Health care workers are stretched to their limits trying to provide the best care possible, but they need more support in the form of safe staffing levels, manageable workloads, and a properly funded hospital system.”
The union is recommending the following actions by the provincial government:
- In the short term, add 6,200 staffed beds to get patients off hallway stretchers, allow for aging and population growth and clear the backlog of people waiting for surgeries.
- Increase core hospital funding by $3.2 billion to clear deficits and hire additional staff
- Fund hospitals at their real costs (six per cent per year) with a multi-year funding commitment.
Who: Health care workers and community allies
What: CUPE rally outside MPP Steve Clark’s office
When: 10 a.m., Wednesday, February 25
Where: Steve Clark’s office, 9 Broad St., Brockville, ON
-30-
For more information contact:
Zee Noorsumar
CUPE Communications
647-995-9859
znoorsumar@cupe.ca
