Defend Public Healthcare

Scarborough General Hospital. Photo by  Benson Kua While physicians and surgeons have not usually been at the forefront of campaigns against cutbacks, more of them have begun to express concerns about hospital cuts in Ontario. Here are three recent examples. with a different emphasis from each. At a Rotary Club meeting May 3, Dr. Robert Ting, president of the Medical Staff Association at the Scarborough Hospital, noted the issue isn't management, it's a lack of funding, and it's getting  worse. " The politicians, they can  criticize  the management and everything, but even if they had  the best  management in the world, they wouldn't be able to keep the hospitals open under this kind of scenario... This is just the tip of the iceberg, " Dr Ting warned .   The hospital is facing $19.6 million in cuts and more than 300 doctors have signed a petition decrying the cuts. In Perth-Smith Falls, the Lanark County Medical Society organize...

Quinte Health Care is simply stopping elective surgeries for a week to deal with funding shortfalls from the provincial government.   The hospital's CEO Mary Clare Egberts told The Intelligencer that the cuts weren't in keeping with QHC's new " patient-first " strategy but a lack of provincial funding leaves few options.   The Intelligencer adds that QHC will also reduce physiotherapy for outpatients at all four of its hospital sites effective November 1 and is looking for other ways to cut costs (e.g. reducing sick pay, overtime, and supplies). The nearby Perth & Smith Falls District Hospital is planning to cut 12  beds, along with a wide range of other services (e.g. housekeeping) to deal with its funding shortfall. Departments have been told to cut 6%. In Sudbury, there was no relief for Health Sciences North from its recent " peer review ".   With the loss of 30 beds earlier this year for non-acute ("ALC") patients, the...

The Ontario government reports that it is focused on moving patients out of hospitals -- and into the community.  But this is not going well at the Perth Smith Falls District Hospital. The Hospital has designated thirty percent of its patients as "ALC" -- that is, it wants them out. But government organizations charged with this responsibility (the CCAC and LHIN) have not been able to achieve this so far. The result? On one day recently there were 16 patients awaiting admission from the Emergency Departments. Further, some patients who were scheduled for elective surgery unfortunately had their surgeries cancelled and rescheduled due to a lack of available beds.