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For further information contact: Tariq Asmi, Executive Director, GTA/905 Healthcare Alliance Phone: 416-205-1331 E-mail: tariq.asmi@gtahealthcare.com |
For Immediate Release - October 27, 2005
REPORT CALLS FOR POPULATION-BASED FUNDING FORMULA, REINSTATING LOCAL DEVELOPMENT CHARGES TO ADDRESS $655 MILLION HOSPITAL FUNDING GAP IN GTA/905
24 recommendations to Ontario Government contained in GTA/905 Healthcare Alliance proposal to kick start plan to improve health care services in Ontario’s high growth regions
TORONTO – Reinstating local development charges to fund hospital expansions, developing a population-based health care funding formula and immediately creating separate hospital funding envelopes for high-growth regions are among the recommendations in a report released today by the GTA/905 Healthcare Alliance.
The report, entitled Places for Care, is intended to help jump start the development of a health care strategy for Ontario’s high growth regions, according to Alliance Chair Kirk Corkery.
Corkery said he applauds recent announcements of hospital expansions in the GTA/905 but added that in the meantime, no action is being taken to address the urgent need for more hospital operating funding in the GTA/905 to meet population growth pressures today. While the province has recently announced several hospital expansions across the GTA/905, the first will not be completed until 2008 and the rest will not be ready until 2010 or later.
“I don’t believe that we can ask the three million people now living in the GTA/905 or the 100,000 new residents that move into the area every year to wait for another three, five or seven years before they start to see some relief,” Corkery said. “We want the Government’s plan for growth in Ontario to succeed. But without a plan for health care services in high growth regions, the goal of maintaining and building vibrant, healthy and prosperous communities in the GTA/905 will be in jeopardy”.
“In 2003, the three million residents of the GTA/905 received $146 less per person for hospital funding than the rest of Ontario. That amounted to an annual funding gap of $540 million”, said Tariq Asmi, Executive Director of the GTA/905 Healthcare Alliance. “This gap has now increased so that GTA/905 residents receive $164 less per person and the annual funding gap for GTA/905 hospital services is now $665 million”
As a result of this funding gap, Corkery said the hospitals in the GTA/905 are full and operating at capacity, medical staff are under increasing pressure and residents are having to travel outside their communities to get care for themselves and their families.
“Developing a health care strategy for Ontario’s high growth regions is long overdue”, said Corkery. “Places for Care is intended to begin this development and we look forward to the upcoming hospital growth funding announcement from the Province to get the ball rolling”
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