OHA Welcomes Significant Investment In Hospital Services By McGuinty Government
Ontario Hospital Association
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Monday, July 26, 2004
But Balanced Budget Requirement, Continued Hospital Funding Gap and Transformation Agenda Mean Genuine Consultation and Collaboration are Essential for the System’s Future
TORONTO – July 26 Today's announcement of $470 million for hospital services is a significant investment in health care and will go a long way to providing hospitals with the resources they need to meet patient care needs in communities throughout Ontario, the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) said today.
"Given the deficit and the financial challenges facing the Province, today’s announcement of $470 million for hospital services is a very significant investment in health care," said OHA Board Chair Tony Dagnone. "But the requirement for all hospitals to balance budgets next year, and the unrelenting cost increases from population growth and aging and other cost pressures, mean that hospitals and the government must continue to work closely on joint solutions to our ongoing challenges."
In the time ahead, the OHA will be conducting a survey of members to assess the remaining hospital funding requirements following today's funding announcement by the government. OHA will share the results of this survey and other relevant information with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care so hospitals and the government can continue to work together in meeting patient care needs in communities throughout Ontario.
Dagnone added that "the government's transformation agenda, in particular the creation of Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs), is a massive and complex initiative, and that the government will need to actively consult with hospitals and other stakeholders on the design and implementation of these networks before final decisions are made."
"To stabilize hospital finances, to reduce wait times and successfully transform health care, the people of Ontario need Prime Minister Paul Martin to move immediately on fulfilling his government's election commitments, especially his commitment to flow an additional $1 billion in health transfers to the provinces this year," concluded Dagnone. "Increased health transfers to Ontario to reduce wait times will help ease the pressures facing hospitals, and will give our health care system the time and flexibility it needs to move forward with positive and lasting change."
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