A new report says five times more hospital beds planned by the Ford government are needed in Ontario.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees’ Ontario Council of Hospital Unions says the province faces a shortfall of 13,800 beds by 2023.
Its report also identifies the need for another 80,000 hospital staff.
Union researcher Doug Allen cites population growth and the demand to meet the healthcare needs of the baby boomer generation as the main drivers for expanded capacity.
“Just to keep up with population growth, we’d have to have 12% extra capacity since the Ford government was elected, and 6.3% just in the last two years alone,” says Allen.
Allen notes that about 60% of existing hospital beds are occupied by those 65 and older.
The treatment of diseases and new illnesses is another factor identified.
Allen says this adds an extra 4% to the demand per year.
Council president Michael Hurley says they need to see some real commitment from the government to address both the projected bed and staffing shortage.
“We need to see some real energy put into how, how we’re going to solve this problem of the looming shortfall of tens of thousands of registered nurses and PSWs in particular. And we also have to address the lack of capacity around staffing in beds, and that can only be done by increasing spending,” says Hurley.
The union estimates the province would need to invest another $2 billion a year into healthcare.
“And you might say to yourself, well, that’s simply unaffordable and unsustainable. The reality is that as a society, we have an obligation to meet the health challenges of the baby boom generation. We can’t turn our backs on them,” says Hurley.
Hurley does not see the investment being permanent.
He says once the baby boomer generation dies off, the need for extra capacity and additional investment will diminish.
