(April 28, 2017)<\/p>\n
By: Sue-Ann Levy, Toronto Sun<\/p>\n
Health Minister Eric Hoskins got rather miffed with me Tuesday when I suggested his government was simply reinventing the wheel by closing hospitals on the one hand and offering $9 billion in this year\u2019s budget to construct new ones.<\/p>\n
In their nice glossy 2017 budget book, the Liberals claim the $9 billion will be used over the next 10 years to support \u201cmajor hospital projects\u201d across the province \u2014 in other words mega-hospitals \u2014 as part of their investments in \u201cservice transformation.\u201d<\/p>\n
(That\u2019s code blue for gutting health care, most specifically community care, in the province.)<\/p>\n
The budget book says 18 new mega-hospitals are under construction; another 16 in the planning process.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think you are thinking of the Conservatives who closed more than two dozen hospitals,\u201d Hoskins told me, denying the Liberals have closed any hospitals.<\/p>\n
\u201cName one hospital I\u2019ve closed,\u201d he said, his normal smooth delivery seemingly ruffled.<\/p>\n
Natalie Mehra, executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition \u2014 who has been actively advocating against hospital closures for years \u2014 said the Liberals have closed the hospital in Shelburne, in Burk\u2019s Falls and three hospitals (including the Finch campus at Jane and Finch) for the new Humber River Hospital.<\/p>\n
She says the newly announced hospital in Niagara will replace five and in Windsor all existing community hospitals will be replaced with one hospital as well.<\/p>\n
Perhaps Hoskins missed this, as well, but Branson Hospital (a campus of North York General hospital) is slated to close in June and a fight is on, led by Councillor James Pasternak, to keep it open.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s absolutely wrong,\u201d said Mehra.<\/p>\n
Just a few minutes before he challenged me, Hoskins told a reporter from friendlier media that he\u2019s working very hard to make sure services are maintained at community hospitals.<\/p>\n
(See note about all the community hospitals being shut tight above.)<\/p>\n
As for the hype around increasing operating budget funding to hospitals by 3% per year, Mehra said the reinvestment will only barely meet inflation (at 2%) after a \u201cdecade of hospital cuts\u201d amounting to billions of dollars.<\/p>\n
She says every advocate in the system feels at least 5% is needed just to try to keep pace.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no money to restore services (from 10 years of cuts),\u201d Mehra said. \u201cWhat this means is that patients will remain lying on stretchers in hallways and frail seniors will continue to be kicked out of hospitals.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll the suffering we\u2019re seeing now will continue,\u201d Mehra added.<\/p>\n
And here I thought I heard Finance Minister Charles Sousa say \u2014 and more than once \u2014 that not only does the Liberal government have everyone covered, but the province has \u201cstrong universal health care.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mehra said the only bright spot in the budget is the new pharmacare program which will give free coverage for \u201call needed drugs\u201d to everyone 24 and under \u2014 a costly manoeuvre (no doubt to win the 18+ vote) at up to $500 million a year.<\/p>\n
The trouble is, the same extensive coverage is not being provided to \u201cworking people\u201d from 25-65 years who are sick and require drugs \u2014 particularly cancer, Crohn\u2019s disease and HIV drugs, she said.<\/p>\n
Dr. Kulvinder Gill, a pediatrician and president of Concerned Ontario Doctors, agreed the 2017 budget will only create a \u201cdent\u201d in what\u2019s required in health care.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is simply a drop in the bucket,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She said conspicuously absent was funding to front-line care, especially considering doctors are now in their fourth year without a contract and have been treated like dirt by the Kathleen Wynne Liberals.<\/p>\n
Gill noted there are currently one million patients in the province without a family doctor.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were no details provided on how they intend to decrease the wait lists without funding doctors,\u201d she added, noting several physicians have announced this week their intentions to leave the province.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was lots of smoke and mirrors, a lot of numbers thrown around,\u201d she said. \u201cFrankly after the gutting of the health-care system, cosmetic changes will not be enough.\u201d<\/p>\n