President's Message

Ontario hospitals on the brink

October 15, 2008

This fall is a watershed time for our hospitals.

At least half of our hospitals are in deficit this year. That is expected to increase to 70 per cent in 2009, given the government is providing much less than inflation.

Across Ontario, hospitals are now finalizing “accountability agreements” with the Local Health Integration Networks (LHINS) that have been putting the pressure on to balance budgets and to push services into community agencies and for-profit companies.

Our hospitals were promised they would keep their services after amalgamation under the Mike Harris regime, but the new reality is that the LHINs view multi-site hospitals as a single entity where core services only have to be delivered from one site.  

If this principle is accepted, emergency rooms will close and there will be a major gutting of services to small towns and rural areas. The South West LHIN is now looking at whether Petrolia, Leamington and Wallaceburg can function without emergency services.

Meanwhile, Durham Region is fighting hard to prevent the loss of almost half its acute care mental health beds, while Whitby Mental Health Centre struggles with extreme staffing shortages. Hundreds of mental health patients have been told they will not be able to see a psychiatrist until next March.

The list goes on. In Kincardine, the hospital closed the physiotherapy department and leased the space in the hospital to a private for-profit company. York Central Hospital has released a tender for surgical services to be performed outside the hospital. Hamilton Health Sciences is closing its west end fertility clinic and the work is also being privatized.

What can we do? The Ontario Health Coalition has brought together all the major health care unions, community groups, and municipal politicians, including the mayors of several communities. More than 36 hospitals were identified as reducing services to the public – many of these are core services. We have worked out a province-wide campaign to pressure the province into providing reasonable funding for our hospitals and to stop the cuts.

It kicked off Sept. 27at demonstrations in five cities. There will be more activities as we move into bargaining for our health professionals next year.

It’s time to get out the message: If we can’t buck these trends, our health care system is in grave danger.

In solidarity,

Warren (Smokey) Thomas

President