Ontario Improving Access to Care in Brampton, Etobicoke and Surrounding Communities

• Ontario is investing an additional $140 million in public hospitals across the province to ensure that they continue to meet the growing needs of their local communities. This new funding builds on an increase of more than $345 million for Ontario’s hospitals as part of the 2016 Budget.
• Since 2013, William Osler Health System has also received $11.6 million dollars to support successful Emergency Department related initiatives.
• According to a recent report from the Fraser Institute, Ontario has the shortest median wait times to see a specialist in the country. The province has committed to further reducing specialist wait times in The Minister of Health and Long-Term Care’s most recent mandate letter.
• There are 147 public hospitals in Ontario.
• This year’s $51.8 billion health care budget is a 2.1 per cent increase over last year – greater than the rate of inflation. 

Ontario is improving access to care in Brampton, Etobicoke and surrounding communities,   helping to reduce wait times and support increased access to services that patients and families rely on.

Brampton-Springdale MPP Harinder Malhi was at William Osler Health System’s Brampton Civic Hospital to highlight the new investment.William Osler Health System is receiving $6 million more this year to improve access to care and reduce the length of hospital stays for patients and families.

“This investment in William Osler Health System, announced as part of the Fall Economic Statement, places the needs of patients first, helping to enable the ongoing provision of high-quality, patient-centred care for residents in the rapidly growing communities of Brampton, Etobicoke and their surrounding areas,” said MPP Harinder Malhi, Brampton-Springdale.

Recently announced in the 2016 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review, the new investment from the province ensures that all public hospitals in Ontario have received, at a minimum, a two per cent increase to their base funding this year. Additional funding has been provided to hospitals to support population growth and changing health care needs in their communities. “In recent years, hospitals have become more efficient while improving patient care, even as they face increased demand for services. Through this additional investment, our government is committed to ensuring hospitals maintain a high level of care to address the increased health care needs of a growing and aging population,” said Dr. Eric Hoskins, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care

Improving access to hospital services is part of the government’s plan to build a better Ontario through its Patients First: Action Plan for Health Care, which provides patients with faster access to the right care; better home and community care; the information they need to live healthy; and a health care system that is sustainable for generations to come.