Hospitals in Ajax, Oshawa and Bowmanville to receive $7.1 to compensate for ‘lost revenue’
Published April 21, 2022 at 4:39 pm
Lakeridge Health is $7.1 million richer thanks to the Ontario Government, which is providing $572.3 million to reimburse hospitals across the province for lost pandemic revenue.
“Our priority since the start of the pandemic has been clear – protecting people’s health. That means ensuring hospitals and the health care system have the capacity they need to care for people,” said Peter Bethlenfalvy, Minister of Finance and MPP for Pickering-Uxbridge. “Supporting hospitals like Ajax-Pickering hospital and Lakeridge Health is part of our plan to do whatever is necessary to keep people safe, during COVID-19 and beyond.”
This funding is part of the Province’s overall investment of more than $1.2 billion to help hospitals recover from financial pressures created and worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospitals have felt financial challenges not only through direct costs, but also through the loss of other forms of revenue such as co-payments for private rooms and the reduction of retail services, all of which contribute to patient care and support clinical services.
“We know that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals have felt financial challenges,” said Lorne Coe, MPP Whitby and Chief Government Whip. “This investment of over $7M will ensure that Lakeridge Health continues to remain on stable financial footing so the families in … the Region of Durham have the care and service that they can depend on when they need it, now and into the future.”
Since the start of pandemic, Ontario has worked with its hospital partners to build new capacity and ensure that Ontarians have access to care. This includes $5.1 billion to add 3,100 beds across the province for a total of approximately 17,000 medical and surgical beds. Through additional investments, the province now has a total of 2,436 adult and pediatric ICU beds.
“We’re grateful for the support and commitment of our provincial government partners,” said Sharon Cochran, Chair, Board of Trustees, Lakeridge Health. “These last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic have tested our health-care system like never before. Today’s announcement means Lakeridge Health will continue to have the ability to provide the critical acute care services and high- quality care our communities need and deserve.”
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The provincial government remains committed to supporting hospitals so that they can continue to care for Ontarians today and in the future, added Health Minister Christine Elliott.
“Ontario’s hospitals have been on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic and our government is using every tool at our disposal to ensure that they are supported,” she said. “This funding will help ease the financial pressure on hospitals so that they can continue to provide high-quality care and ensure our health care system is prepared to respond to any scenario.”
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