NICKEL BELT – Following a release put out by Ontario Council of Hospital Unions - OCHU on the situation in our hospitals, NDP MPP France Gélinas released the following statement, echoing their calls and concerns:
"Doug Ford's choices have pushed Ontario's hospitals to the breaking point," said MPP Gélinas. "For years, frontline health-care workers, patients and hospital leaders have warned that chronic underfunding would lead to longer wait times, overcrowded emergency rooms and devastating staff shortages. And now, that is exactly what we are seeing.
"Instead of investing in the public hospitals people rely on, this government continues to starve the public system while expanding the costly private for-profit system. Ontarians deserve timely, high-quality care close to home. Doug Ford and his Government need to stop crumbling our health care system, and start making public investments needed to rebuild capacity, retain staff, and strengthen our public hospitals. Tommy Douglas brought us Medicare, where care is based on needs not on ability to pay, all this is at risk under this government."