SICK SITUATION; YORK REGION SUFFERS FROM LACK OF MEDICAL FUNDING
The Toronto Sun
Sunday, May 15, 2005
Page: YS7
Section: News
Byline: BY HIMANI EDIRIWEERA, THE YORK SUN
Source:

A LACK of hospital care for the ever-growing region of York is becoming a seriously sick situation, officials say.

The State of Hospital Care in the GTA/905, an accountability report for the regions surrounding Toronto, shows a lack of medical facilities in York Region with $251 million less in hospital funding than the provincial average. The report, by Healthcare Alliance GTA/905, shows a shortfall of $544 million across the 905 board.

"It's been too long and we have not addressed the need for additional funding to keep up with the pace of rapid growth in 905," said the group's executive director, Tariq Asmi. "The forecast shows that the area (905) will continue to grow at double the provincial rate and York will lead that growth with a 19% increase by the year 2011."

York Region, one of the country's fastest growing regions, has only three hospitals -- including Southlake Regional in Newmarket, York Central in Richmond Hill and Markham Stouffville in Markham -- for its almost one million members.

"The people need to have the infrastructure and health care and it needs to keep up with the growth of the region," Asmi said.

Most Ontario residents get $1,183 a year in total health care funding, excluding OHIP payments and contributions to drug plans. York residents get $629 -- a total of $554 million less -- in hospital funding.

But, hospitals in the GTA/905 spend 8% less on administration than the average provincial hospital.

"If you look at the region's population and the funding for the area, there is a really strange gap," Asmi said. "We are now feeling the effects of this historic underfunding."

On average, each York resident gets $366 a year for hospital acute care, compared to a provincial average of $704.

York taxpayers contribute $169 million in health care premiums to Ontario's $2.2-billion health budget.

Last week, at Queen's Park, the Liberal's Minister of Health and Long Term Care, George Smitherman, said York residents should consider travelling outside of the region -- regardless of an invisible border -- for health care.

"I think we can all acknowledge that there's a need for very necessary investments in the 905," Smitherman told the House. "I merely suggest that the analysis that they (Healthcare Alliance) did around the numbers discredits the idea that someone living in Woodbridge should have to travel, as an example, to the Humber River health care system, that there's some problem because you cross Steeles Ave."

"So someone needs to travel from Vaughan to Humber River. Like it's not really busy anyway?" Asmi said, criticizing Smitherman's earlier comment.

The report, gathered through information from member organizations, York's hospitals, the Ministry of Health and Ontario Hospital Association, identified two major concerns.

It suggests GTA/905 residents can not access hospital care close to home. It also shows continued underfunding will begin to compromise the quality and timeliness of care in GTA hospitals.

According to the report, 905 hospitals have an occupancy rate of almost 94%, compared to 77% provincially and 83% in Toronto. Emergency wait times, at 3.9 hours, are in tandem with the provincial average.

Patient satisfaction scores for overall hospital care, including with emergency service, are slightly lower than the provincial average.