Insufficient Federal Funding For Health Care In Ontario Puts Wait Time Reduction Promise At Risk
Ontario Hospital Association
200 Front Street West, Suite 2800
Toronto, Ontario, M5V 3L1
Tel: (416) 205-1345 Fax: (416) 205-1360
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Tuesday, September 14, 2004
A $600 million hospital funding gap in Canada's largest province means wait times will increase as hospitals are forced to balance budgets at all costs
TORONTO – As the first ministers continue their meeting in Ottawa today, Ontario's hospitals are calling on the federal government to live up to its campaign promises and to significantly increase federal funding under the Canada Health Transfer to allow provinces to meet patient care needs and to reduce wait times.
"The Prime Minister has made reducing wait times a key priority for his government. However, the reality of the situation is that federal funding for health care under the Canada Health Transfer falls far short in addressing current patient care needs, let alone reduce wait times," said Hilary Short, President and CEO of the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA). “It is time for the federal government to step up to the plate to become a true partner in funding health care in Ontario,” added Short.
The OHA is urgently calling on all Ontario MPs to stand up for their province at a critical time during the current federal-provincial negotiations to ensure that Ontario receives adequate funding to meet patient care needs and to reduce wait times. Failure to reduce wait times in Ontario will be seen as the federal government breaking its promise to more than 12 million Ontarians.
The OHA has written to Prime Minister Paul Martin, and to Canada's opposition leaders to appeal for all parties to work together to ensure the federal government's health care campaign promises are kept, including: the promise to enhance multi-year funding to address the funding gap identified by the Romanow Commission, the promise to implement the National Wait Times Reduction Strategy as well as the need to provide a federal escalator to ensure that federal funding keeps pace with patient care needs.
Ontario's hospitals face a $600 million funding shortfall for 2004/05. Ontario's hospitals remain deeply concerned about the actions they will be forced to take to balance their budgets as a result of a requirement to submit balanced budget plans in the weeks ahead, coupled with inadequate funding to meet current patient care needs. "Given the province's requirement that hospitals balance their budgets at all costs, hospitals are being forced to make some very difficult choices about what services they'll have to cut – meaning wait times will increase in Ontario," added Short.
But the Ontario government cannot be expected to fund hospitals and health care alone. The federal government has a financial and moral obligation to adequately fund health care in Ontario.
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For further information:
Stefan Baranski, OHA Public Affairs
416-205-1305