OHA Welcomes New Infrastructure Framework

Ontario Hospital Association
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Tuesday, July 27, 2004

Government Now Has Plan to Address Long Standing Capital Needs of Health Sector

TORONTO – The Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) today welcomed the provincial government’s public investment framework document entitled "Building a Better Tomorrow: An Infrastructure Planning, Financing and Procurement Framework for Ontario’s Public Sector" because it establishes a plan to help address the long-standing capital needs of hospitals and the health care sector.

"This is an essential and timely plan to fundamentally improve capital planning and financing in Ontario," said Hilary Short, OHA President and CEO."It provides an ideal platform to help advance the government’s transformation agenda for health care."

Evidence from a comprehensive OHA survey of hospitals in 2002 estimated that hospitals require hundreds of millions of dollars more in capital investment than is available each year. For the most part, the hospital investments recommended by the Health Services Restructuring Commission (HSRC) remain unmet. The lifespan of many hospitals is nearing its end and many hospitals are unable to secure funds for strategic investments in medical equipment and information and communication technology. Hospitals in high growth regions of the province need to expand capacity to meet growing patient care needs and to reduce wait-times.

"As the government moves forward with its plan to transform health care and establish Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs), it also has the opportunity to upgrade and modernize hospitals and other health care facilities," added Short. "We applaud Minister Caplan and the government for their plan to move forward with addressing hospital capital needs."

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For further information:
OHA Public Affairs
416-205-1348