Durham hospitals underfunded compared to province
Metroland - Durham Division
Sunday, May 15, 2005
Page: 01
Section: Oshawa-Whitby-Clarington This Week - News
Byline: By Danielle MilleyStaff Writer
Column: 1
Source:

PICKERING - The residents of Durham and the rest of the 905 area are not getting their fair share when it comes to health care funding, according to an alliance of 10 hospitals.

The GTA/905 Healthcare Alliance report, 'The State of Hospital Care in the GTA/905', calls for fair funding for those hospitals. Released earlier this month, the report pegs the gap between hospital funding in the area and the rest of Ontario at $544 million and growing.

"As the alliance has made clear on numerous occasions, we do not receive a fair share of funding for our local hospitals," said Tariq Asmi, executive director of the association.

Recently, Mr. Asmi made a presentation at Pickering's management forum meeting and asking for council's support.

"We hope you will continue to add your voice to the call for fair funding," he said. "The more resolutions we can have passed, the stronger our voice."

Durham's per-capita funding in 2002-03 was $527, compared with the provincial average of $704. The number was $492 for all of the 905. The provincial average excludes Toronto and northern Ontario as those areas cost more to service.

If the funding in Durham were increased to the provincial average it would mean an extra $86.6 million for hospitals here. Hume Martin, the Rouge Valley Health System chief executive officer, said that would ease their funding struggles, adding 905 hospitals should get more than the provincial average.

He explained hospital budgets are based on historical data, which has left booming areas such as Durham and the 905 underfunded.

"Hospital budgets in high-growth areas are far below budgets in communities that are growing less quickly," Mr. Martin said.

More than three million people live in the GTA, which represents 25 per cent of Ontario's residents, and that number is growing. Many of those people have to leave their community to get health care because the services are not available at home due to lack of funding, the report says.

This costs the health-care system more as it costs less, on average, to treat each case at a 905 hospital ($3,391) compared to Toronto teaching hospitals ($4,860) and all Toronto hospitals ($4,187). Those figures are for treating a standardized patient, regardless of the complexity of the procedure and the patient's characteristics.

"You wonder why we have backups and delays in our emergency departments, we just don't have the room," Mr. Asmi said

Mayor Dave Ryan expressed support for more funding.

"There are things we can't do - (such as) put more pressure on our residential taxpayers," said Mayor Dave Ryan. "We're going to have to put more pressure on the federal and provincial governments."

Mr. Martin said increasing awareness of the issue is helping the cause.

"I'm pleased to see the amount of attention that has been paid to this issue," he said. "It's a key issue for the public to understand."

He said he believes relief is on the way in the form of a new funding formula that he thinks will be released in three or four weeks.

"I am confident the government is trying to recognize the need to do this," Mr. Martin said.