The Premier of Ontario on Wednesday defended his management of the health care system which, by the admission of one of the province’s most senior officials, is under severe strain. During his first press briefing on Ontario territory in more than a month, Doug Ford did not, however, offer any possible solutions.
Tuesday, in an interview at Toronto StarMatthew Anderson, the CEO of Ontario Health, the government agency that coordinates the province’s health system, admitted that the pandemic has exacerbated problems already present.
Nearly 25 hospitals across the province had to curtail operations over the weekend, according to the Ontario Nurses Association. On Tuesday, Toronto General Hospital advised the public that three intensive care units were either full or understaffed to operate at maximum capacity. And these service reductions are likely to continue: at Wingham Hospital, west of Toronto, the emergency room will be closed overnight from Saturday to Sunday.
In a press briefing, the Ontario Premier mainly sought to reassure the population. “About 90 percent of the patients who are very urgent cases were admitted to the hospital within the required time,” he said. Ontarians are therefore receiving adequate care, he says.
Obviously, “if the patient is in mortal danger, we will treat him immediately, but everyone else is waiting”, explains the DD Anne Aspler, an emergency physician at North York General Hospital, north of downtown Toronto. ” [Le premier ministre] says that patients get the care they need, but that’s not true,” notes the doctor.
“Is the necessary level of care offered in the health network? I don’t think so, ”replies the Dr Fahad Razak, internist at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.
In the short term, the Ford government says it is doing everything possible to speed up the recruitment and certification of internationally trained nurses to make up for the lack of resources. But this approach will not cure the ills of the health system, believes the Dr Razak, who is also scientific director of the Ontario COVID-19 Advisory Group. According to the Toronto doctor, the crisis dates from before 2020: it was simply aggravated by the pandemic.
Staff under pressure
Hospitals are used to receiving an influx of patients during certain times of the year, says Dr.r Razak, but not two or three waves of patients, as seen with each new variant. “Health personnel have little time to rest. »
New problems are also on the horizon. “I’m worried about having a surge of COVID and influenza patients in the fall,” he said.
“I think a lot of doctors in emergencies would leave the profession if it weren’t for the salary”, recognizes for his part the DD Aspler, who says he understands why there is a shortage of nurses. Nearly one in eleven positions are currently unfilled in hospitals across the province, according to a survey by the Ontario Hospital Association.
“A part of me doesn’t want to complain about the current state of the system, since it could get worse,” says the Toronto emergency physician. “But I talk about it openly because I want the situation to improve. »
This story is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.