Wynne government cuts to hospitals hurting patients in Scarborough and across Ontario: NDP

Today, Ontario NDP health critic, France Gélinas, issued the following statement in response to the Liberal government’s announcement regarding the final report of the Scarborough/West Durham Panel: 

“Families in Scarborough know that today’s announcement by the Wynne government does not change the fact that the Liberals are cutting hospital care across Ontario and forcing patients to pay the price.

Kathleen Wynne’s four-year freeze on hospital funding has pushed hospitals to the brink, forcing them to make deep cuts and lay-off hundreds of nurses and frontline workers. The 2016 Liberal Budget confirms that funding for Ontario’s hospitals will fail once again to keep up with inflation and population growth, meaning even deeper cuts this year. Patients and their families know that health care in Scarborough is suffering because of bad choices by this Liberal government.

Families in Scarborough should be able to trust that timely access to quality hospital care will be there when they need it. As the community grows, the health care needs of people in Scarborough cannot continue to be ignored. In the coming years, the panel found that the Scarborough region will require investment in at least 232 additional beds to keep up with demand. But as the Liberals force more hospitals across Ontario to close beds, it’s clear that the Wynne government just can’t be trusted to provide the health care services that families in Scarborough need. 

New Democrats will continue to work to stop the Liberals’ cuts to our hospitals – and to stand up for better public health care and seniors care for families in Scarborough.”