People in London and across the province will be rallying Monday afternoon in an effort to stop cuts to Ontario\u2019s health care system.<\/p>\n
Billing it as a \u2018cross-Ontario referendum,\u2019 the Ontario Health Coalition says demonstrators will gather in communities around the province to protest 196 million dollars in lost funding and the loss of 380 health care positions since 2012.<\/p>\n
In London, protesters will gather at 4:15 p.m. outside the entrance to the Adult Emergency Department at LHSC\u2019s Victoria Campus.<\/p>\n
The group says Ontario is in its 9th consecutive year of cuts, meaning hospitals can\u2019t keep up with inflation.<\/p>\n
Just last month, both LHSC and St. Joseph\u2019s Health Care announce multi-million dollar budget shortfalls resulting in planned staffing cuts, mostly through attrition.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, on Saturday, hundreds of doctors, health care workers and patients rallied outside of the Ontario Legislature to protest cuts made by the Liberal Government.<\/p>\n
The group called \u2018Concerned Ontario Doctors\u2019 is warning that \u201cunilateral cuts\u201d to health-care spending are jeopardizing doctors\u2019 ability to provide quality care to patients.<\/p>\n
Last Friday, Health Minister Eric Hoskins revealed more than 500 doctors billed the province more than $1-million dollars each last year.<\/p>\n
According to Hoskins, while the top billing doctors represented less than two percent of Ontario\u2019s physicians, they represented nearly 10 per cent of the billings.<\/p>\n
Speaking on The Craig Needles Show on AM980 Monday morning, Ontario Health Coalition spokesperson Jeff Hanks said they\u2019re lobbying for the province to invest much needed cash into the health care system.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want funding restored so people aren\u2019t waiting in stretchers in (emergency departments) for days on end and they\u2019re treated with dignity,\u201d Hanks said noting they\u2019re asking supporters to sign referendum ballots to send a message to Queen\u2019s Park.<\/p>\n
Hanks said he\u2019d like to know what the province last did a study of the London-region\u2019s needs when it comes to bed space.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe keep closing all these small hospitals around London and closing beds and services,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s putting bigger pressure on London, but they\u2019re not saying \u2018OK, how many beds do hospitals in this area need?’\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re over 100 per cent capacity most of the time while 85 per cent is safe.\u201d<\/p>\n