Premier Ford says “Ontarians have access to the care they need, when they need it,” despite known ER closures and understaffing

Premier Doug Ford says patients are getting the care they need despite the known emergency room closures and understaffing in hospitals.

Ford says the federal government needs to pitch in with more funding, and told reporters today that nurses received a $5,000 thank-you bonus when questioned about Bill 124, which caps their wages to a one percent increase over three years.

“I want to be clear, Ontarians have access to the care they need when they need it,” Ford said.

Healthcare workers in the province have been sounding the alarm for weeks and do not agree that Ontarians have access to the care they need when they need it.

A new survey reveals patients are being put at risk, as nearly 7 in 10 nurses say they are unable to provide adequate care due to a lack of available time and resources. Some emergency departments in the province have been forced to shut down.

Statistics show that 89 per cent of patients finished their emergency visit within the target time, but that target time is 8 hours.

On average, emergency patients who end up getting admitted have been spending over 20 hours in the emergency room.

NDP health critic France Gelinas says the premier needs to repeal Bill 124, “they need to be heard, they need to be respected and the way to do this is to get rid of Bill 124.”

The Ontario Nurses Association is calling it a ‘slap in the face’ that Ford would not commit to repealing Bill 124.

Ford says his government is working to expedite credentialling for foreign-trained nurses and says the federal government needs to provide provinces with more funding.