Ontario is investing $142 million in the province's hospital emergency rooms to try to keep them from closing their doors and reduce wait times, but the health minister warns patients not to expect changes overnight.
"This is not I Dream of Jeannie," said George Smitherman. "You don't just uncork a magic solution on paper that immediately has the effect of making situations perfect."
Health Minister George Smitherman announced the province is spending millions on beefing up salaries for ER doctors, increasing the number of beds and injecting money into rural hospitals.
(CP file photo)
The health minister announced Friday morning that money will be spent on beefing up salaries of emergency room doctors, buying new hospital beds and helping hospitals in rural or growing areas.
Emergency room physicians welcomed the injection of new money.
"We all are feeling pretty stressed and pretty stretched," said Dr. Carol Pitters, chair of the Ontario Medical Association's section on emergency medicine. "I think anybody that says money does not matter would be lying to you. Money matters."
New beds tackle crisis head-on: doctor
Under the plan, Ontario hospitals will receive 1,750 new long-term care beds.
Alan Drummond, emergency physician and spokesman for the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians, says he believes if the initiatives are implemented, Ontario might become the "first province to see an end to overcrowding in emergency departments."
He praised the province's plan tackling the root of the crisis by focusing on new hospital beds, instead of diverting patients from ERs to community health-care centres and other facilities.
The inclusion of money for retaining ER doctors, he says, will also help the province eliminate its chronic ER crisis.
Ontario is spending $13.2 million on recruiting and retaining emergency room doctors, and a pilot project to use nurse practitioners and physician assistants in emergency rooms.
Doctors to get extra money for weekends, holidays
Under an $11.2-million agreement with the Ontario Medical Association, Smitherman said ER doctors will be paid a premium for working weekends and holidays.
Hospitals in areas with growing populations will see $30 million injected into their ERs, with rural hospitals receiving $10 million.
Another $52.4 million is aimed at boosting community-based health care to help take pressure off emergency departments.
Hospitals have been struggling to keep emergency rooms open as they deal with overcrowding and a shortage of doctors.
Opposition critics at Queen's Park argue as many as 20 ERs have been on the brink of closure over the past few months.
NDP health critic Shelley Martel criticized the Liberal government for waiting until emergency rooms were on the verge of shutting their doors before it began to address the health-care crisis.
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