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The Brampton Guardian
Elizabeth Witmer says William Osler $20M in the hole
The Brampton Guardian
Thursday December 4 2008
Peter Criscione
 
BRAMPTON - William Osler Health Centre (WOHC) has rejected figures released in a provincial document this week that suggest the organization, which operates Brampton Civic and Etobicoke General hospitals, is running a $20 million deficit.

Elizabeth Witmer, Ontario Progressive Conservative Party health critic, issued a release listing 52 of 159 hospitals boasting budget deficits as of Sept. 24.

A copy of the document obtained by The Guardian shows WOHC had the largest deficit at $20.6 million.

However, hospital officials have dismissed the figures released by the opposition health critic stating the numbers are “out-of-date.”

That document “incorrectly attributes a deficit of $20.6 million to William Osler,” said Todd Leach, WOHC’s new communications manager. “They (the numbers) are out-of-date, they are from last year, and they do not reflect our current financial position.”

Leach acknowledged WOHC currently faces operational pressures of about $12 million (largely brought on by staffing shortages) but noted that is not the same thing as a budget deficit.

Witmer’s office released the figures earlier this week warning, “Hospital deficits are a province-wide health crisis.”

Provincial legislation introduced by Premier Dalton McGuinty’s Liberal government in 2004 prevents hospitals in Ontario from running deficits.

Health care facilities are required to balance their budgets by the end of each fiscal year (March 31).

To meet their budget requirements, Witmer charged hospitals have no choice but to cut staff and services.

She said the Grits are forcing hospitals to balance their books while at the same time not providing hospitals a funding increase that keeps pace with inflation.

Witmer’s comments ride the coattails of a report released this week by the Ontario Health Coalition, a provincial health care watchdog.

The coalition revealed one in every two Ontario hospitals has been in the red this year as growing demand for health services has left them stretched.

Natalie Mehra, coalition director, said the coalition anticipates the number of hospitals facing financial constraints will climb to 104 in 2009-10.

But WOHC contends although the organization is facing operational pressures, it is well on course to meeting its fiscal requirements by March 31.

Officials stressed the budget pressures are not related to any funding cutbacks.

Rather, officials said WOHC’s fiscal constraints are related to costs associated, in part, with opening and ramping up Brampton Civic last year.

Those costs include a higher than expected demand for services at the new hospital.

Ken White, provincial supervisor, said in a previous interview WOHC has taken a real financial hit as a result of staffing shortages.

He said the organization has had to pay out a lot of money to cover “significant” overtime and nursing agency costs.

White said WOHC hopes the hiring of 207 nurses since May will offset some of that overtime and agency costs.

White added WOHC is also looking at finding ways to run the organization “more efficiently” in order to balance the books.

But that won’t include cuts in services or staffing, he stressed.