NEWS RELEASE
PATRICK BROWN, SIMCOE NORTH MPP
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The following is a statement from Simcoe North MPP and Leader of the Official Opposition Patrick Brown on Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital (OSMH):
“It is deeply concerning to hear that in order to eliminate a $5.9 million shortfall, OSMH will be forced to eliminate 35 full-time positions and 16 beds.
These cuts will mean an increased workload for OSMH’s dedicated staff, and more patients in the community not receiving the level of care they need.
This is the most recent in a long list of Liberal cuts to health care in the region that jeopardizes the ability of my riding of Simcoe North and the broader Simcoe County to access timely and quality health care services.
Sadly, these cuts are not news. These cuts are consistent with what we are seeing throughout the province.
After nine consecutive years of hospital funding cuts, including four years of frozen budgets, the Liberal Government is putting OSMH and hospitals throughout the province in a position where they are unable to provide a base level of services to their community.
Each cut this government makes means more time that families have to wait to access much needed health care.
It’s extra days waiting to see a specialist, an extra month waiting for a much needed surgery, or being forced to travel hours to a hospital that can provide the services they need.
The reality is that the government’s ongoing cuts to the broader health care system are a direct result of its scandal, waste, and mismanagement. This Liberal Government needs to reassess what their priorities are.”
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