THUNDER BAY – NEWS – The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre will receive just over $4 million in base and one-time funding for 2017-18.
The Ontario is putting an additional $9,190,895 in Northwestern Ontario Hospitals to provide faster access to health care, expand crucial services and procedures, and improve the experience of patients.
| Hospital Name | Total Opening Base Funding for 2017/18 (as of Feb. 28, 2017) | 2017/18 Total Base and One-time investments |
| Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre | 197,698,207 | 4,011,984 |
| Nipigon District Memorial Hospital | 6,462,480 | 129,200 |
| St. Joseph’s Care Group | 86,875,553 | 2,304,100 |
| Atikokan General Hospital | 7,538,058 | 150,800 |
| Sioux Lookout Meno-Ya-Win Health Centre | 31,664,974 | 633,300 |
| Geraldton District Hospital | 9,833,390 | 196,700 |
| Lake of the Woods District Hospital | 27,748,354 | 555,011 |
| Manitouwadge General Hospital | 5,021,663 | 100,400 |
| The Red Lake Margaret Cochenour Memorial Hospital Corporation | 6,485,649 | 129,700 |
| Dryden Regional Health Centre | 18,746,956 | 374,900 |
| North of Superior Healthcare Group | 11,180,774 | 223,600 |
| Riverside Health Care Facilities Inc. | 24,907,970 | 498,200 |
This investment in Northwestern Ontario is part of a 3.1 per cent increase in hospital funding proposed in the 2017 Budget to directly benefit patients at every public hospital across Ontario, and would:
- Provide more access to cardiac services, critical care, organ/tissue donations and transplants, rare disease care, and bariatric services, as well as support for new and redeveloped hospitals
- Improve access and reduce wait times for chemotherapy, stroke treatments, hip and knee replacements, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRIs)
- Support service delivery by hospitals in high-growth communities, as well as small, medium, northern and rural hospitals, and mental health and stand-alone paediatric hospitals.
“By increasing our investment to each and every publicly funded hospital in Ontario, patients will be able to connect with specialists faster, have reduced wait times and better access to the procedures they need close to home,” comments Dr. Eric Hoskins, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care
“I am proud of our province’s commitment to hospitals in Northwestern Ontario. These investments allow for improved patient outcomes in our communities and ensure that people can get the best possible care at the right time in the right location. This announcement along with the new OHIP+ Children and Youth Pharmacare Program greatly contributes to the quality of life in Thunder Bay and the region,” states Bill Mauro, MPP for Thunder Bay- Atikokan.
“We welcome this funding for new hospital infrastructure projects which represents an exciting opportunity to address growing demands for health care services through innovative improvements and expansions to hospitals across the Province. This investment will continue to support the good work that hospitals are doing today and improve access to care and better health outcomes going forward for people of the Northwest region and beyond,” says Laura Kokocinski, CEO, North West LHIN.
QUICK FACTS
- Each of Ontario’s 141 public hospitals will receive a minimum 2 per cent increase to its base funding in 2017–18.
- Hospital operating funding in Ontario has increased more than 58 per cent, from $11.3 billion in 2003-04 to $18 billion in 2017-18.
- Ontario’s health care budget will total $53.8 billion in 2017–18 — a 3.8 per cent increase from the previous year.
- Ontario also plans to invest an additional $9 billion over 10 years in capital grants to hospitals to build modern infrastructure. About 34 hospital projects are now underway across the province.
