It also warns of major cuts to come in our area.
The Coalition claims Queens Park has set funding levels for hospitals at less than the rate of inflation and there are no more cuts that can be made without impacting services.
Local Coalition spokesperson Jill McIllwraith says the impact on smaller hospitals could result in 3 emergency rooms being cut to one … and with more services centralized we’ll have to drive further to get the health care we need.
Province wide, up to 104 hospitals will be running a deficit next year… because of funding cuts by Dalton McGuinty, which McIllwraith claims is worse than the cuts by Mike Harris.
Since hospitals are forbidden to run deficits.. they’ll have to make cuts.
Kincardine hospital already has eliminated OHIP covered physio-therapy and the Ontario Health coalition says more cuts will be needed to eliminate a potential 350 thousand dollar budget deficit faced by the South Bruce Grey Health centre.
The situation is no better in Goderich, where the Alexandra Marine and General hospital is eyeballing a 300 thousand dollar deficit in the current fiscal year.
And further north, Grey Bruce health services covers six hospitals, Southampton, Owen Sound, Meaford, Markdale, Lions Head, Tobermory and Wiarton… and it faces another big challenge.
McIllwraith says it is already running a 2.5 million dollar deficit and most of the cash reserves are gone, meaning an even bigger deficit this year.
She says the service cuts in this area may be dramatic, but a consultants report on cuts is not out yet.
The Health Coalition says cuts now proposed across Ontario include closures of Emergency Departments; closure of local birthing services; cuts to hospital beds and departments; and the closure of some small and rural hospitals.
