For Immediate Release:
December 14, 2004

GTA/905 HEALTHCARE ALLIANCE WELCOMES FUNDING TO
REDUCE WAIT TIMES FOR HEALTH SERVICES

Better Care Close to Home for GTA/905 Residents

Greater Toronto Area – The Ontario governments’ announcement today of $26 million in new funding to reduce wait times for key health care services will help improve access to health care for GTA/905 residents. Several hospitals in the GTA/905 region received a total of $4.8 million in new funding to provide an additional 1,316 surgeries.

“We were pleased that with this announcement the government is beginning to demonstrate their awareness of the need to fairly fund hospitals in the growing GTA/905 region,” said Kirk Corkery, Chair of the GTA/905 Healthcare Alliance. “Today’s investment means that more GTA/905 residents will be able to receive their needed treatment close to home instead of traveling out of region. The Alliance looks forward to further investments to deal with the GTA/905 region’s health care backlogs and historical gaps in funding.”

Minister Smitherman’s announcement is the first of what is expected to be a number of announcements aimed at reducing wait times for health care services. Investments such as today’s $26 million are essential in achieving the government’s goal of reducing wait times before the end of 2007. Today’s funding is targeted to cancer surgeries, hip and knee surgeries and cataract surgery.

“By investing in cost-effective GTA/905 hospitals, which are up to thirty per cent more efficient, the Minister will achieve several goals at once. He will help to reduce provincial wait times, ensure GTA/905 residents get surgery close to home and make wise use of scarce health care resources,” added Tariq Asmi, Executive Director of the GTA/905 Healthcare Alliance. “This is a win-win-win for GTA/905 residents, the health care system and the government”.

The GTA/905 Healthcare Alliance is the collective voice of acute care and mental health hospitals across the GTA/905 region - from Oshawa to Burlington and north to Newmarket. Alliance hospitals provide care in communities that represent more than 25 per cent of Ontario’s population. The GTA/905 area is the fastest growing region in Ontario, increasing by more than 90,000 new residents annually and comprising more than fifty per cent of Ontario’s annual population growth. The GTA/905 Alliance represents the more than three million residents in the region to ensure that they get better care close to home.

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