Riverside Health Care Facilities Inc. will receive a total increase of $651,200 as part of today’s announcement that the province is providing a record $9.4 billion in funding to hospitals for 2002/03—a jump of $645 million over last year.
Other regional hospitals also will see increases, including Atikokan General Hospital ($387,300), Dryden Regional Health Centre ($993,8000), Lake of the Woods District Hospital ($1,371,400), and Red Lake Margaret Couchenour Memorial Hospital ($85,600).
“Our government is providing Ontario’s hospitals with a record amount of funding to ensure they are there for residents when you need them the most,” Health and Long-Term Care minister Tony Clement said.
“This record investment is about making health care work for Ontarians,” he added. “It means reducing wait times and providing people with faster access to diagnostics and treatment.”
The extra $645 million will be invested by hospitals in a variety of ways, including:
•$100 million to allow hospitals to serve and look after even more people than they did last year;
•$110 million to expand and enhance existing programs such as cardiovascular services and sexual assault care/treatment centres; and
•$180 million for hospitals to help maintain patient care services in Ontario communities.
“The Ontario government has heard and understands the pressures facing hospitals across this province,” added David MacKinnon, president and CEO of the Ontario Hospital Association.
“This funding will help hospitals to plan more effectively for a growing and aging population in Ontario,” he added.
“Ontario hospitals are committed to working with the government to implement solutions to ensure the sustainability of the health care system in the long-term,” he added.
“In setting this year’s budget, our government made a commitment to making the health care system—your health care system—our number-one priority,” said Clement.
“A vast majority of Ontarians continue to rate the health care services they receive as excellent or good,” he added. “We are committed to not only maintaining, but improving, the care you receive.”