August 30th, 2017

Horwath calls on Wynne to take immediate action to fix hospital overcrowding and capacity crisis

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath is calling on Premier Kathleen Wynne to immediately increase funding for Ontario hospitals, as the crisis in neonatal intensive care highlights the impact of Conservative and Liberal cuts to hospital services. 

“Parents of sick or premature babies who need immediate care are already under enormous stress and anxiety. They deserve to know that their baby will be cared for today, without any delay,” said Horwath. “But cuts to hospital funding have created a capacity crisis inside Ontario’s hospitals that’s causing huge worry for parents and stress for doctors, nurses, and health care workers. It’s time for the Wynne government to wake up to the crisis they have created and take immediate action to fix it.”

In recent days, level 3 neonatal intensive care units have been struggling with a surge in demand that has left units completely full and forced the closure of Toronto units to new admissions. It’s just the latest evidence that Ontario hospitals face a growing capacity and overcrowding crisis, after years of funding cuts and layoffs.

In this year’s budget, funding for Ontario’s hospitals fell more than $300 million short. The Wynne government’s record of freezing hospital budgets for four straight years and cutting hospital staff has done more damage to health care services, after the last Conservative government fired 6,000 nurses, closed 28 hospitals, and slashed more than 7,000 hospital beds.

“Ontario’s hospitals have been pushed to the breaking point by Conservative and Liberal cuts. Enough is enough,” said Horwath. “Ontario families deserve immediate action from Premier Kathleen Wynne to resolve this capacity crisis caused by years of chronic underfunding of hospitals by her government.”

New Democrats are working to stop the cuts in our hospitals and ensure that hospital funding, at a minimum, keeps up with inflation, population growth, and the unique health needs of our communities.